N E W S & V I E W S • S E P T E M B E R 2 0 2 3 31 Given our overall penchant for social media, one often hears of people complaining about becoming trapped in an “echo chamber”. This echo chamber reference originates from various social media algorithms picking up on your interests and theme searches and then suggesting links to sites coupled to that liking or theme. Eventually one finds oneself moving from one echoey rabbit hole to the next, all much alike, and continually feeding one’s specific interest. Eventually it seems as if nothing else exists other than information and developments around that topic. So the person in the rabbit hole resonating with echoes of cats coughing up fur balls on the front seats of electric sport cars (don’t mock it, it’s real people) are totally astounded when they glance at the phone screen of their co-worker and find to their surprise, evidence that suggests that cats may not necessarily be the center of the universe despite the cat-filled universe that Facebook and Instagram have been consistently presenting. As an interesting aside, I read the other day of just how ironic it is that mankind has in its hands, a tool that that can answer literally any question about anything, and we use it to share pictures of our lunch. Go figure! It’s not only internet-linked electronic media users that are susceptible to falling foul of echo chambers. Join me as I take you through the rather dark rabbit hole that is our every-day life experience. The gloomy recess of this arguably treacherous hole is inundated with regular stimuli that carve perceptions deep into our psyche. Your power goes off anything from once to five times a day. Sometimes it goes off – and stays off – for days! If you stay in Johannesburg, then your water goes off as well for days. If you stay in Pretoria your mayor goes off every week. If you stay in Pietermaritzburg your municipality goes off, and stays off, for years. If you stay in the centre of Johannesburg, then your road explodes for no apparent reason, and if you are a taxi owner, your vehicle becomes a flying object with poor landing ability. – Rob Thompson Member Services Department Manager –
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