EOTO 2: Spiral Of Silence

 

The Spiral of Silence is a communication theory which was proposed by a German political scientist, Elisabeth Noelle-Neumann in 1974. The term refers to the idea that when one feels that their views are criticized or in opposition of the majority view, they remain silent. Overall, we remain silent for two reasons. The first being that we fear isolation from a group, when this group discovers a different opinion from the "status quo." The second is that we fear being faced with a counterattack or even more isolation. We remain silent because we fear that by voicing this opinion, we may face negative consequences that become more extreme than just isolation. More extreme consequences could be as severe as losing a job, or more simple like hurting our status.

Further explained in this theory is a behavior known as public opinion. This means a behavior that can be expressed in public, which does not face the risk of social isolation. Noelle-Neumann explained that public opinion is a “form of social control that ultimately applies to everyone.” We can use isolation to manipulate individuals who fear isolation to punish them in society, and often force them to conform to the opinion which they were opposed to. This type of situation can occur within a job, when making a decision of who to promote, who to fire, and in many important situations where decision making is needed. It can become very destructive and dangerous, as it ranges on a wide scale. 

The media also contributes to this theory, because so many people get information from it. Especially politically speaking, people have different views and the likelihood that at least one person feels that they are at risk of being the one opposing view is very, very high. Mass media often has a very big influence on the way we form these opinions, and especially politically, people may follow different outlets that have a different bias. One of the best examples would be someone who follows a source like FOX News, which tends to be conservative, in a group of those who follow CNN, a more liberal biased news source. When discussing an issue such as what presidential candidate is the best, the public opinion would cause a spiral of silence with that FOX viewer, who is likely to become afraid to speak out against the other candidate. The majority opinion is favored, threatening the outlying, opposing view. By speaking out on controversial topics like this, we create situations that may be harmful for those who are against the status quo.

This affects society as a whole, because we are always at risk of being in a spiral of silence. Many times we are involved in some way, whether we are part of the cause of a spiral, or if we are part of the effect of one. It affects different segments differently, as social status can impact the way the spiral occurs. An example of this is rich and poor. Someone who is rich discussing the economy with a group of poor individuals would become the outlier and have a much higher chance of becoming silent and entering the spiral. It affects everyone in different ways. The risks can be as severe as potentially losing a job, or as simple as becoming silent or disagreeing with a friend. It affects us all the time and the media plays a large role in it occurring.

                     

Sources used:

https://www.scienceabc.com/social-science/what-is-the-spiral-of-silence.html

https://masscommtheory.com/theory-overviews/spiral-of-silence/

https://www.britannica.com/topic/spiral-of-silence

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/elisabeth-noelle-neumann-pioneer-of-public-opinion-polling-and-market-research-1940766.html

https://safeum.com/blog/430-social-media-and-the-spiral-of-silence.html