In earlier posts, I’ve talked about how we all live in an echo chamber – we choose what we want to see online – that which we agree with – and ignore the rest – that which goes against our morals, our policial and social beliefs, and so on. Up until recently, this was difficult to argue. On Facebook, the largest social networking site, you’re friends with people you know and like (for the most part). You join the groups you want to join. You can even be a “fan” of the pages of organizations, companies, celebrities – whatever you might feel compelled to be a fan of. This varies from “cuddling” to “Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations”. You subscribe the blogs that compliment your beliefs. Your homepage might be your news source of choice, which, like it or not, is probably biased. You watch YouTube videos that your friends suggest to you, because they know you’ll enjoy it.

With the newer social media, this may all be changing. From 2006-2007, percentage of online visits that were to social media sites grew 668%. Some of the fastest growing social media sites are leading us in our of our comfortable echo chamber.

Twitter has shown an unprecedented surge in growth over the last year. For those unfamiliar with Twitter…a) have you been living in a hole? b) it’s a service that allows you to compose 140 character messages to share anything from what you’re doing to news or articles that interest you. You can use Twitter to follow people or sources that interest you. Even though you may only “follow” those who have similar political or moral leanings, or even just your friends, Twitter has provided a network which encourages you to reach out to people whose interests and leanings you might not pay any attention to otherwise. A recent Slate article talks about how Republicans are starting to explore and use Twitter. I imagine that even Tweeps that don’t lean to the Right might find their Tweets interesting – if only as a platform for debate.

LinkedIn and other sites like it allow you to develop your professional network by making connections with people you know. You can upload your resume and other information about yourself, and use it to find clients, recommend people for your friends, and post and respond to job listings. This mix between a job listings site and a networking site allows you to take control of your network and expand your horizons.

At the latest count, there were 70 million blogs online. With blog hosters making it easier, and more free functions becoming available, any one with a computer and access to the internet can put their opinions online. Brazen Careerist, WordPress, 20something bloggers… all of these call to mind collaboration sites that give members an opportunity to browse and explore blogs. While some blogging communities are brought together by issues, there are many that bring many views to the table. Joining these types of sites are great to expand your views.

A newer social media called “social bookmarking services” allow you to add people to your networking and share bookmarked sites that you find interesting. Delicious and Digg are great for this. StumbleUpon allows you to set preferences, and sends you personal recommendations. Sites like this are great because they manually give you an opportunity to explore new sites.

Even music snobs are breaking out of their shells. With websites like Pandora and Last.fm, users can find music that has a similar style to music they already enjoy. For example, my favorite Pandora station, based on Kings of Leon, will play not only The Killers, who I also enjoy but also bands I’ve never heard of, like Cold War Kids.

Sooner or later, we all have to break out of our echochamber. Information is coming at us at a breakneck speed, and it’s not only that which we agree completely with anymore. There’s no longer any hiding from that which we disagree with.