Media Department Students Present Ways to Combat Social Media Bias at a Local School

On Tuesday, January 27, 2026, third-stage students from the Media Department at Cihan University–Erbil, under the supervision of Assistant Lecturer Dlan Ismail Mawlood, visited Vanas Girls School in Erbil and delivered a seminar titled Echo Chamber: Why Do We Only See What We Agree With?

The students were warmly received by the school principal, Mr. Raman Ezzadin Omer, and teacher Mr. Taman Anwar Khurshid, who expressed their appreciation for this initiative, highlighting its role in raising awareness among the pupils.

The seminar was presented by students Layar Aza, Sarwin Zati, and Dakhaz Khalid. Sarwin Zati began the session by providing a general definition of the “echo chamber” and explaining how users become trapped in closed circles where they are exposed only to opinions that align with their own beliefs. This, she noted, leads to a limited and distorted perception of reality.

In the second part of the seminar, Layar Aza discussed how social media platforms, through the use of artificial intelligence, shape and filter the content users see. She explained that these platforms tend to display topics based on users’ preferences, which discourages exposure to differing viewpoints and contributes to the formation of bias.

In the final part, Dakhaz Khalid addressed the serious consequences of the echo chamber phenomenon on social awareness. He emphasized the importance of encouraging students to seek truth and diverse sources of information rather than relying solely on convenience and personal preferences, in order to develop open-mindedness and critical thinking.

At the end of the visit, the principal of Vanas Girls School expressed his gratitude to the participating students for delivering this informative seminar and stressed the importance of organizing such educational activities for school students.