Overview

Are you only seeing posts on your social media feeds that you agree with? You might be stuck in an echo chamber. This lesson will teach students about algorithms, confirmation bias and how to avoid getting stuck in an echo chamber.

These lessons were developed by PBS NewsHour Student Reporting Labs in partnership with MediaWise and the Teen Fact-Checking Network, which are part of the Poynter Institute. This partnership has been made possible with support from Google.

Objectives

Students will be able to:

• Explain how social media algorithms create an echo chamber.
• Explain what confirmation bias is and how it can lead to misinformation.
• Avoid echo chambers on their social media accounts.

Downloadable lesson documents

• Student Handout
• Extension Activity
• Teacher Tips

Grade level

6-12

Subjects

Media literacy, social studies, language arts, journalism.

Estimated time

45 minutes

Key vocabulary

1. Echo chamber – An environment where a person only encounters information or opinions that reflect and reinforce their own
2. Algorithm – Set of rules used to rank, filter and organize the content for users within certain social media platforms.
3. Confirmation Bias – The tendency to seek out or give greater weight to information that supports our pre-existing beliefs and expectations.

Before you watch

Why is it often important to listen to more than one side of an issue?

While you watch

Preview the questions. Then answer them while you watch the MediaWise Teen-Fact Checking Network (TFCN) video. According to the video…

1. The main goals of social media algorithms are to keep you _______________ so you stay on the platform for as long as possible, _______________ with the content by sharing or commenting and come _______________ to it later.
2. What are the positive aspects of social media echo chambers?
3. What are some negative aspects of echo chambers that can lead to bad consequences?
4. How can you avoid echo chambers on social media?
   • Follow left and right-leaning information sources to _____________ your news sources.
   • _______________ interacting with controversial posts—the algorithm will stop feeding them to you
   • _______________ political, scientific or conspiratorial posts
   • _______________ everything to confuse the algorithm

After you watch

Watch this teen CBC reporter explain how algorithms work. Use the words provided to fill in the blanks on the "Student Handout".

Coming up next

Be MediaWise Lesson 7: Evaluating a scientific claim — Students will learn how to combat online science misinformation using lateral reading by investigating a post about an NFL football player’s collapse on the field.

Standards

Common Core ELA CC.8.5.6-8; CC.8.5.9-10.A; CC.8.5.11-12.A
Citing informational text.

College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) D3.1.6-12

Gather relevant information from multiple sources while using the origin, authority, structure, context, and corroborative value of the sources to guide the selection.

ISTE 6-12.1.4.a
Students: know and use a deliberate design process for generating ideas, testing theories, creating innovative artifacts or solving authentic problems.

This lesson was published on May 1, 2023 and updated June 3, 2026.

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