The Echo Chamber Effect in Traditional Periodicals and Their Digital Transformation: A Case Study of Duzhe and Yilin

• Yitao Deng

  Author

This paper examines the "echo chamber" effect within traditional Chinese literary periodicals, using the highly influential magazines Duzhe and Yilin as case studies. It analyzes how editorial selection, homogenous reader groups, social currency functions, authority endorsements, and intergenerational transmission collectively constructed a powerful value-based echo chamber in the pre-digital era. The study further investigates the evolution of this phenomenon during the digital transformation of these periodicals, identifying new challenges such as the emergence of algorithmic echo chambers, pseudo-interaction phenomena, and a growing generational divide that threatens their continued relevance. By analyzing the dual impact of these echo chambers, both their positive contributions to cultural identity formation and their negative effects on critical thinking and exposure to diverse perspectives, the paper provides strategic recommendations for traditional media outlets seeking to break free from these self-reinforcing cycles. These recommendations include building open content ecosystems, precisely matching diverse user needs, and developing multimodal content strategies. The analysis draws upon theories of echo chambers, filter bubbles, information cocoons, group polarization, and social identity to frame the case study and its implications for the future of print media in an increasingly digital and fragmented media landscape.

• JEBH000009.pdf