Spiral of Silence Theory

Spiral of Silence Theory

• 1.
  S p ir a l o f S i l e n c e T h e o r y
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  CREATED BY: ElisabethNoelle-Neumann who formulated the theory in Germany in 1974
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  Basically, the theoryargues if a person thinks their opinion is not shared by the majority they will most likely either…
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  Express the opinionthey think the majority DOES hold OR...
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  Remain Silent.
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  WHY? ? ?? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
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  People are afraidof being rejected, or isolated , from the group.
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  Because of thisfear, the minority opinion is kept quiet , appearing to become even less widely supported, causing less willingness of others to express that particular opinion, and eventually silencing the opinion altogether .
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  But how dopeople know what the “majority opinion” is? The mass media provides a picture of the dominantly accepted social norms, customs, styles of clothing, and what to think/believe.
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  SO WHAT? ?? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
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  FOR THE STUDYOF COMMUNCIATION , THESE CONCEPTS MATTER TO RESEARCHERS OF : 1. public opinion 2. the individual and interpersonal communication 3. mass media and communication
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  BUT WHY SHOULDYOU CARE?
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  We are allexposed to the mass media in at least one way or another
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  You are usingthe internet to view my presentation at this very moment!
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  Therefore, we areall at risk of… the spiral of silence effect.
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  Unless, of course,you are a HARDCORE : A person who is not effected by social pressure and does not fear isolation from the crowd, and therefore holds a strong, unchanging position. *Presenter's Choice…
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  Strong enough toDEFEAT the spiral of silence effect!
• 18.
  But Critics Wantto Know...   Does this theory apply to other cultures? Or is it specific to its country of origin, Germany? Is “f e ar of isolation” really the main factor of willingness to express opinion in experimental studies? Is the hypothetical nature of these studies appropriate to examine spiral of silence?
• 19.
  These unanswered questionswill serve as motivation for further research into spiral of silence in years to come.