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If you want a great example of a modern echo chamber on a national scale, the UK& #39;s response to the pandemic is a fascinating case study.
All along, the government has been unwilling to commit to any policy that will be perceived as unpopular with its core voters in Middle England. So they& #39;ve been equivocating right from the start, looking to be guided by their citizens.
The perfect model for them is Sweden, where they haven& #39;t locked down and have instead introduced guidelines that emphasise civic responsibility. Notably, of course, this hasn& #39;t worked very well.
But people clamoured for lockdown, so they (eventually) conceded and introduced a sort-of one, but basically did nothing much else.
Each week - each day, even - they chase the mood of Middle England, trying to work out what people want, and how they can shift things back towards their preferred model of basically not doing much and letting whatever happens happen.
Key government strategy on coronavirus is, it& #39;s increasingly clear, to avoid taking responsibility for it. If they do nothing, how can they be blamed? All they need to do is ride it out, give people what they want, and no one can fault them.
The state as separate from the people. The state as bystander. The state as a neutral employer, just providing the services the taxes pay for and nothing else. A conservative libertarian fantasy of society.
Anyway, this would actually work - more or less - if everyone in the country was equally well-informed about the pandemic and what precautions to take.
But - and here& #39;s where the model breaks down - the citizens are understandably looking to their government to provide guidance on what they should do and why. Because that& #39;s one of the key functions of a state: to *govern*.
But the only advice the government can give is a reflection of their perception of the public mood. That& #39;s why we& #39;re in this absurd position of reopening pubs and restaurants despite their being no vaccine, no quarantine policy and no reliable contact tracing.
Because the government has decided people want it, and they keep saying so, and the people - who may or may not want it - only have that information to go on, so assume it& #39;s what has to happen because the government said so.
And if you can& #39;t parse that sentence, there& #39;s a reason for that. It& #39;s literal gibberish.
Our own vague opinions are being reflected back at us as equally vague policy. This is government by feedback loop. A textbook echo chamber.
No one knows what they should be doing, and the government doesn& #39;t want to make any hard choices, so we& #39;re basically all doing what we want while pretending there& #39;s someone in control of things.
It& #39;s a bizarre perversion of democracy. A government that does nothing in the face of looming catastrophe, paralysed by its own unwillingness to risk electoral defeat in the future.
"Well we can& #39;t just carry on with the lockdown forever!" Listen, there& #39;s no *plan*. This isn& #39;t a story that& #39;s going to end with a neat little moral. We don& #39;t know if we& #39;ll ever develop a defence against this virus.
We might just have to restructure our entire society around the fact that close contact with strangers carries a serious risk of infection now. There may not be a return to "normal".
This is an era of transformation. We& #39;re living through one of those big upheavals that schools (should they still exist) will teach about next century. It& #39;s painful and confusing.
And you can& #39;t just will away the risk. People need guidance and information. This is about healthcare, about the social responsibility of the state to its citizens. You cannot govern by opinion poll.
You can& #39;t ride out this storm, not if you& #39;re the one who& #39;s meant to be steering the ship. Being captain is about more than getting a nice hat to wear.
And if your concern as a leader, in this time, in this place, is with maintaining your own power, then you& #39;ve already failed the test. You are not fit to lead.
What matters right now is keeping people alive and healthy. If you can& #39;t even do that then...what do we even need you for?
