There has been much concern over the impact of partisan echo chambers and filter bubbles on
public debate. Is this concern justified or is it distracting us from more serious issues?
Axel Bruns argues that the influence of echo chambers and filter bubbles has been severely
overstated and results from a broader moral panic about the role of online and social media in
society. Our focus on these concepts and the widespread tendency to blame platforms and their
algorithms for political disruptions obscure far more serious issues pertaining to the rise of
populism and hyperpolarisation in democracies. Evaluating the evidence for and against echo
chambers and filter bubbles Bruns offers a persuasive argument for why we should shift our
focus to more important problems. This timely book is essential reading for students and
scholars as well as anyone concerned about challenges to public debate and the democratic
process.
