Concepts in Spiral of Silence Theory (Lec-06)

   Concepts in Spiral of Silence Theory (Lec-06) Spiral of Silence Spiral of silence theory was first proposed by Elisabeth Noelle-Neumann i...

  

Concepts in Spiral of Silence Theory (Lec-06)

Spiral of Silence

Spiral of silence theory was first proposed by Elisabeth Noelle-Neumann in 1984. She was a
German political scientist, President of “World Association for Public Opinion Research” and
one of the founders of “Public Opinion Organization”.

Neumann (1974) introduced the “spiral of silence” as an attempt to explain in part how public opinion is formed. The Spiral of Silence is a model of why people are unwilling to publicly express their opinions when they believe they are in the minority.

Concepts in Spiral of Silence Theory

Spiral of silence theory is described in a diagram as a spiral with two ends. The top end of the spiral is the view of the majority which is wide. While the lower end which cons
According to the assumptions of the theory, people through intuition or awareness know what the majority thinks.

They do not talk out loud unless they know that their views conform to the
majority.

If a person thinks that his/her views are closer to that of the majority, he/she expresses it more often and with more value.

On the other hand, people restrain themselves from telling it to others if they think the opinion of the majority is changing. This might lead to a change in their own opinion as well.

The theory posits that they remain silent for a few reasons:

1. Threat of isolation
2. Fear of isolation
3. Quasi-Statistical sense
4. Willingness to speak out and tendency to remain silent
5. Spiral of silence

The theory of the spiral of silence can be broken down into the following core hypotheses:

1.  Every individual has a “quasi-statically organ” (sixth sense) that makes them know
   prevailing majority public opinion.
2.  Individuals have fear of isolation from a group of people. He/she could have divergent or negative opinions and might not support the status quo.
3.  People have fear of reprisal or vengeance. This can cause more extreme isolation or
   exclusion.

The powerful role of the Media: Mass media have three characteristics.

1. Cumulating
2.  Ubiquity
3.  Consonance

Mass media may have a decisive influence on the formation of public opinion. If the media
repeatedly (in a “cumulative” way) and concordantly (in a “consonant” way) support one side in a public controversy, this side will stand a significantly higher chance of finishing the spiral-of.

silence process a winner.

Media shows what majority thinks to be true as true. It acts as a source to influence public
opinion and measures its rate. Spiral of Silence Theory takes media as a reference.

The theory explains its psychological influence on individual behavior conforming them to majority views. Here, dominant opinions of mass media and interpersonal support work together to suppress general public opinions. These opinions are different than what most people think. Features of Spiral of Silence Theory.

1.  It is a dynamic process.
2.  Mass media influences spiral of silence phenomena.
3.  A marginalization is a tool for the elimination of competition in political, social and
   organizational scenarios.
4.  People are afraid to speak out due to their fear of isolation.
5.  People can even withdraw their opinions to conform to the group.
6.  A greater number of people can reject others who don't conform to them.
7. Minorities get less vocal space.
8. It is used in both micro and macro levels.
9.  The degree of openness depends on the view of the majority on the issues.
10.  The consequence can be as severe as a war.

The exception of Spiral of Silence:

1.  Hard-core
2.  Avant-garde

Criticisms of Spiral of Silence Theory:

1.  Individual personality differences influences in people voicing their opinions or not.
   Shameless or over-confident people can speak anything they like even if they fall on the
   minority group.
2.  Other aspects like a person's political inactiveness prevent a spiral of silence to work,
   even if he is in minority.
3.  People’s fear to be isolated from their immediate small social circle, like their family and
   friends, is more pronounced.
4.  People will find another group of people who share similar opinions if they want.
5.  Culture also plays a great role in the behavior of people to speak against anything.
   Individualistic cultures promote freedom of speech, whereas collectivist cultures want
   confirmation to groups.

Read more: How to disable directory browsing easy way

Next