Exploring the echo chambers in entrepreneurship: embedding in social media and its implications on resources

PurposeIn the field of entrepreneurship, social media has been identified as a critical tool, enabling various activities such as marketing, crowdfunding, networking and resource mobilisation. Despite these recognised benefits, the phenomenon of echo chambers generated by social media usage and their implications remain underexplored. This paper aims to examine how entrepreneurship operates within the context of echo chambers on social media, emphasising the role of embeddedness and its implications on resources.Design/methodology/approachThis research used an exploratory strategy alongside qualitative techniques, encompassing interviews and netnography. This study purposefully selected two cases for a comparative analysis. One case demonstrates how the echo chamber worked beneficially for entrepreneurs, while the other shows how it created problems. By examining these distinct cases, this study can identify their differences and similarities.FindingsThe findings demonstrate how two Facebook communities, initially established for entrepreneurial support, evolved into echo chambers with profound implications for business operations. Drawing on structuration theory, this study introduces the concepts of pursued and forced embedding, illustrating how intentions shape echo chamber dynamics. This research shows that echo chambers on social media can influence the availability and quality of resources, either enhancing or undermining them, depending on the nature of interactions and the community's response. This highlights the role of social media platforms in shaping entrepreneurial dynamics and outcomes, emphasising the need for an understanding of the interplay embeddedness and resources in entrepreneurial processes online and in place.Originality/valueThis study shows how social media provides accessibility and connectivity, enabling widespread agency and collaborative entrepreneurial initiatives. This study shows how these dynamics affect integration into echo chambers, with pursued embedding fostering supportive communities while forced embedding constrains agency.