Blog 10: Spiral of Silence

The Spiral of Silence is "the theory that people's willingness to express their opinions on controversial public issues is affected by their largely unconscious perception of those opinions as being either popular or unpopular" (Britannica). According to the theory, most people have a natural fear of social isolation that is unconsciously controlled.  This fear can cause a change of behavior to adapt and gain approval from others, and most importantly the majority opinion. To avoid criticism or isolation, people will refrain from publicly stating their views on controversial topics. The Spiral of Silence Theory should not be taken lightly, in fact, people affected by this isolation may fear losing their job, status, or loved ones. That said, the people who are in popular opinion are more likely to speak about topics, belittling others simultaneously.  

This theory was developed by researcher Elisabeth Noelle-Neumann who studied this throughout the 1960s and 70s. She was attempting to "describe collective opinion formation and societal decision making" regarding controversial and moral issues (Britannica). By collecting information about people's opinions and decision-making, one can see how society affects the answers to moral and controversial questions. 

The theory arose through a study in the German election of 1965. In September 1965, Noelle-Neumann along with her staff at the Allensbach Institute for Public Opinion Research produced surveys designed to track the public's political opinions of the election. In the beginning months, voters' intentions stayed the same. When the two major parties, "the governing Christian Democratic Union-Christian Social Union" and the opposing "Social Democratic Party of Germany," were in "dead heat" with 45 percent going to each party, the survey began to change (Britannica). There was a sudden swing cause a leader for the CDU-CSU party. This was caused by some members of the opposing party (SDP) and the independent party to switch to the person who they thought was going to win, instead of who they wanted to win. SDP voters felt discouraged from publicly stating their views due to fear of backlash from the popular party.

This experiment is also relevant more than ever because of social media and the current election. Social media allows people to freely promote their own opinion about topics; however many people feel afraid to voice their opinion in fear of people unfollowing and bullying them. Minorities including people of the LGBTQ+ community, color, women, and people in poverty feel hesitant about making their voices heard. Sharing one's opinion or coming out to others is something that makes them feel part of the out-group. The reaction that comes after can be detrimental to these communities. The 2020 election has been one of the most intense debates in American history. With the parties going neck in neck, it almost feels that the US has been truly divided. There have been threats and accusations against parties and friendships have been broken from differences in preferred candidates. 

The advantage of having this theory is that it helps to "raise questions about the role and responsibility of media in society." This can help improve society knowing where it encourages and discourages minority opinions.

Citations:

"Spiral of Silence." Encyclopœdia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., www.britannica.com/topic/spiral-of-silence.

"Spiral of Silence." Mass Communication Theory, 21 May 2014, masscommtheory.com/theory-overviews/spiral-of-silence/.

"The Spiral of Silence Theory." Communication Theory, 10 July 2014, www.communicationtheory.org/the-spiral-of-theory/.