Strolling on Bruinwalk is a similar experience to sorting through an algorithmic playlist. Sifting through songs, listeners evaluate whether to skip them, give them a full listen, or download them. If a listener’s attention is fully grasped, they may even share the song with others. Mirroring this filtration process, students are constantly sorting through the various opportunities at UCLA. Overflowing bulletin boards and floors bestrewn with fliers fight for student’s recognition. The blessing and curse of a huge school with endless activities. With fleeting attention spans, students must decide which noises to tune into or out of. While students contemplate the potential pathways of undergrad, the question of identity is raised.

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Who am I? Who do I want to be?

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In affiliating with various clubs, groups, and organizations, or neglecting this possibility altogether, students make a statement on their social, communal and personal identity. Researcher and Communications Professor, Michael Slater examines the phenomenon of social identity in his 2007 study, Reinforcement Spirals. Although Slater’s study is primarily concerned with the role of identity in relation to media selection, I have found this effect paralleled in student’s selection of involvement at UCLA. 

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The allure of distinguishing one’s sense of self in an orderly, contained manner is inescapable. Students are encouraged to decipher their life’s trajectory in a matter of four years. As most students are facing independence on a more intense scale than ever before, the concept of a fixed identity makes this formidable task seem a little easier. A pressure to “know yourself” ensues and looms over students’ heads. Though comforting and tempting, this illusion is dangerously constraining. If knowing oneself also means knowing which classes to take, which clubs to join and which people to be surrounded with, then we’d have a perfect solution. However, establishing a fixed identity is a dead-end, as it discourages growth. In fact, this mindset creates an echo chamber, discouraging alternative perspectives and experiences. 

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So how do students typically conceptualize personal identity? According to Slater, humans have a tendency to “define identity through perceived affiliation over shared experiences, perceptions or values.” Social and communal identity is contrived, as humans recognize elements of shared identification within a social group or organized community. Slater claims that this categorization “allows us to make sense of the social world and understand our place in it” (Slater 291). Thus, joining clubs and organizations offers students a sense of belonging, as well as an explicit marker of identity. In this sense, involving oneself in a larger group offers positive reinforcements and opens doors of opportunities. However, a discerning mindset remains crucial, as narrowing one’s focus on a respective group may discourage active listening in other areas. In limiting the sources that receive a student’s full attention, students may fall into what Slater describes as a “reinforcement spiral,” in which “socialization, attitudes, and social identities are formed, reinforced and/or sustained in the face of competing perspectives.”

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Slater describes this phenomenon through comparing open and closed communication systems. He claims that the more open a communication system is, the more it may be influenced by external factors. With outside influence, open systems are more regulated, as they welcome negative feedback (Slater 288). On the other hand, closed communication systems lack sources of mediation. Although a closed communication system may breed a more cohesive community, it fosters polarization against others. According to Slater, groups often increase closure through: “suspicion of outside influences, group-specific media that reiterates a distinct worldview, and maximizing engagement in interpersonal networks, excluding nonparticipants” (Slater 292). 

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On a communal level, closed systems reaffirm preconceived notions, beliefs, and values through rejecting the presence of opposing forces. A group that is isolated from dissention not only produces polarized and unrealistic decisions, but also exacerbates intergroup hostility (Slater 293). The effects of an echo chamber often permeate into other areas of an individual's life, as identity is often contrived from one’s affiliated groups. 

Students have much to learn from each other and the UCLA community at large. Double Pulitzer Prize winner John Milton theorized the marketplace of ideas. He claimed that the truth will emerge from unrestrained publication of dissenting views. Even though students cannot tune into all of the noise around them, there are ways to counteract selective listening and the reinforcement spiral. All of which propagate from the idea of openness. 

For starters, decreasing homogeneity in clubs and organizations is vital. The absence of diversity magnifies groupthink phenomena, in which groups reach a consensus without critical consideration of alternative perspectives. Rather, by including members from a variety of backgrounds and circumstances, groups will be enriched by diversification. In addition, leadership positions should be diversified, as well, ensuring that all perspectives are actively listened to.

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Openness can also take the form of negative feedback, which should be welcomed and critically evaluated. Both internal and external sources should participate in this evaluation. For example, UCLA Radio’s Racial Equity Action Plan is currently in progress. According to UCLA Radio’s Assistant General Manager, Sam Smithies, this initiative was “motivated by both specific incidents that have happened in Radio’s (recent) history and Radio’s less specific role in perpetuating systemic racism. The intentions behind the plan are to better understand how racism takes place in and shapes UCLA Radio, and develop concrete actions to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion within our organization and beyond. This plan is just the beginning of what is hopefully a long-term commitment to pursuing a radical anti-racist future that continues far beyond this first edition of a Racial Equity Action Plan and this year.” In constructing these articles, Smithies has been highly encouraging of participation from all Radio members, offering an anonymous survey, feedback forms, and in-person office hours. As evidenced, embracing criticism elucidates social dilemmas and encourages progression.

It is human nature to seek out information that validates predetermined beliefs to maintain a positive self image. However, college is a place to explore the alternatives, encouraging self-growth. By tuning into sources that challenge preconceptions or propose new ideas, students can open their minds to an evolving identity.