Three-Dimensional Echo Chambers: Algorithmic Spatiality of News and New Gatekeeping in the ‘Metaverse’

Öz

The emergence of metaverse technologies introduces a new spatial dimension to journalism, extending news production, distribution, and consumption beyond conventional digital platforms. While research on filter bubbles and echo chambers has largely focused on two-dimensional online environments, this article draws on Henri Lefebvre’s theory of the social production of space to argue that immersive virtual worlds may reconfigure these dynamics through the algorithmic production of space. Based on a theoretical review integrating spatial theory, algorithmic gatekeeping, immersive journalism, and virtual reality scholarship, the article proposes two original concepts: algorithmic spatiality, the process through which algorithms produce, organize, and legitimize spatial experiences in virtual environments; and three-dimensional echo chambers, conceptualized not as homogeneous spaces excluding opposing views, but as conditional environments that shape the spatial, embodied, and affective framing of content. The study further argues that virtual reality may increase misinformation’s persuasive power by combining algorithmic curation with embodied and affective experience, positioning this as a theoretical hypothesis for future empirical testing. The article concludes by proposing three normative principles for Metaverse journalism -spatial transparency, spatial accountability, and spatial accessibility- offering a novel conceptual framework that integrates critical spatial theory with debates on algorithmic governance.Based on a theoretical and conceptual literature review that brings together scholarship on spatial theory, algorithmic gatekeeping, immersive journalism, and virtual reality, the article proposes two original concepts: algorithmic spatiality and three-dimensional echo chambers. Algorithmic spatiality refers to the process through which algorithms produce, organize, classify, and legitimize spatial experiences within virtual environments. Unlike traditional algorithmic filtering systems that primarily determine the visibility of content, metaverse algorithms also shape the spatial conditions in which news is encountered and experienced. Consequently, gatekeeping expands beyond content selection and becomes a mechanism for producing immersive informational environments. The study further argues that virtual reality technologies intensify the persuasive capacity of misinformation by combining algorithmic curation with embodied and affective experiences. In this context, three-dimensional echo chambers emerge as spatially structured environments that reinforce ideological homogeneity through repeated immersive interactions and bodily habituation. These developments raise significant concerns regarding editorial independence, media pluralism, democratic deliberation, and public trust in journalism. The article concludes by proposing three normative principles for metaverse journalism: spatial transparency, spatial accountability, and spatial accessibility. By integrating critical spatial theory with contemporary debates on algorithmic governance and immersive media, the study offers a novel conceptual framework for understanding the future of journalism in emerging virtual environments.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Metaverse
• echo chambers
• algorithmic gatekeeping
• algorithmic spatiality
• journalism

Üç Boyutlu Yankı Fanusları: ‘Metaverse'te Haberin Algoritmik Mekânsallığı ve Yeni Eşik Bekçiliği

Öz

Metaverse teknolojilerinin ortaya çıkışı, gazeteciliğe yeni bir mekânsal boyut kazandırarak haberin üretim, dağıtım ve tüketim süreçlerini geleneksel dijital platformların ötesine taşımaktadır. Filtre balonu ve yankı odası yazını büyük ölçüde iki boyutlu çevrim içi ortamlara odaklanmışken, bu çalışma Henri Lefebvre’in mekânın toplumsal üretimi kuramından hareketle, sürükleyici sanal dünyaların bu dinamikleri mekânın algoritmik üretimi aracılığıyla yeniden yapılandırabileceğini ileri sürmektedir. Mekân kuramı, algoritmik eşik bekçiliği, immersif gazetecilik ve sanal gerçeklik literatürlerini birleştiren teorik bir incelemeye dayanan makale, iki özgün kavram önermektedir: algoritmaların sanal ortamlardaki mekânsal deneyimleri üretme, düzenleme ve meşrulaştırma süreçlerini ifade eden algoritmik mekânsallık; ve karşıt görüşlerin zorunlu olarak dışlandığı homojen alanlar değil, içeriğin mekânsal, bedensel ve duygusal olarak çerçevelendiği koşullu ortamlar olarak kavramsallaştırılan üç boyutlu yankı fanusları. Çalışma, sanal gerçeklik teknolojilerinin algoritmik kürasyonu bedensel ve duygusal deneyimlerle birleştirerek yanlış bilginin ikna edici gücünü artırabileceğini savunmakta; bu kavramı ampirik olarak sınanması gereken bir hipotez olarak konumlandırmaktadır. Makale, Metaverse gazeteciliği için mekânsal şeffaflık, mekânsal hesap verebilirlik ve mekânsal erişilebilirlik ilkelerini önererek, eleştirel mekân kuramını algoritmik yönetişim tartışmalarıyla birleştiren özgün bir kavramsal çerçeve sunmaktadır.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Metaverse
• yankı fanusları
• algoritmik eşik bekçiliği
• algoritmik mekânsallık
• gazetecilik

Kaynakça

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