Inspiration
I noticed that Reddit threads often become echo chambers where one narrative dominates and alternative perspectives are buried or missing entirely. With generative AI, I wanted to help users escape those echo chambers.
What it does
When you visit a Reddit thread and use EchoLens, it:
Analyzes tone and bias across top comments
Summarizes the dominant narrative
Surfaces thoughtful counterpoints
Explains the framing/language used and how it might shape your perspective
How we built it
Frontend: Chrome Extension using JavaScript and HTML (Manifest V3)
Backend: Python with FastAPI
Reddit Data: Collected using PRAW (Python Reddit API Wrapper)
AI Analysis: Google Gemini 2.5 Flash model
Deployment: Backend deployed to Render for easy demoing
Challenges we ran into
Never built a Chrome extension before — learning how Manifest V3, permissions, and content scripts work was a challenge
Getting the backend hosted and connected to the extension in a secure but demo-friendly way
Designing prompts that generated structured, useful outputs from Gemini for multiple categories
Accomplishments that we're proud of
A fully working MVP with a clean, zero-setup demo experience
Chrome extension + live backend integrated smoothly
What we learned
How to build, debug, and ship a Chrome extension
How to design effective structured prompts for Gemini
What's next for EchoLens
Support more platforms beyond Reddit (e.g. Twitter/X, YouTube comments, news sites)
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