Echo chambers in the tech world

We have echo chambers in the tech world. Echo chambers are those channels of communication that reinforce certain beliefs, sometimes correct and sometimes not. They exist in the political world, but are not limited to that milieu.

The Apple world has the belief that they are immune to malware, that viruses and other nasty things happen only to Windows and Microsoft products. The idea is "common knowledge", and many Macintosh owners will confirm it. But the idea is more than common; it is self-enforcing. Should a Macintosh owner say "I'm going to buy anti-virus software", other Mac owners will convince (or attempt to convince) him otherwise.

The echo chamber of the Apple world enforces the idea that Apple products are not susceptible to attack.

There is a similar echo chamber for the Linux world.

The Microsoft world has an opposite echo chamber, one that insists that Windows is not secure and extra software is required.

These are beliefs, created in earlier times, that endure. People keep the idea from that earlier time. In other words, people have trained themselves to think of Windows as insecure. Microsoft Windows was insecure, but is more secure. (Yes, it is not perfectly secure.) Similarly, Apple products (and Linux) are not completely secure but people have trained themselves to think that they are.

I will make some statements that people may find surprising and perhaps objectionable:

• Microsoft Windows is fairly secure (not perfect, but pretty good)
• Apple MacOS X is not perfect and has security flaws
• Linux (any variant) is not perfect and has security flaws

We need to be aware of our echo chambers, our dearly-held "common knowledge" that may be false. Such ideas may be comforting, but they lead us away from truth.