Spiral of Silence and Politics - Term Paper Example

Spiral of Silence and Politics Spiral of Silence and Politics Introduction The spiral of silence theory is one of the theories of mass communication, and it was formulated by Elizabeth Noelle-Neumann in 1974. The theory is meant to describe how the public opinion process is formed, and it is thus defined as the process experienced by an individual when “he may find that the views he holds are losing ground; the more this appears to be so, the more uncertain he will become of himself, and the less he will be inclined to express his opinion” (Bordignon & Ceccarini, 2013). The perception of the social environment by the individual is an integral factor in fueling the loss of certainty for self by the individual, and this is referred to as “quasi-statistical picture of the distribution of opinions.”in essence, the spiral of silence theory is meant to explore the hypothesis for determination of why certain groups are vocal when others keep silent in public discourse forums (Anstead & OLoughlin, 2011). The theory suggests that silence seen among certain groups results from the unpopularity of the opinions they give within the public sphere. Whereas most groups may have the support of or have the desire to contribute on certain issues, the perceived minority groups opt to keep silent in fear of being isolated. Theory Analysis The theory observes that people base their perception of public opinion on variable things within their environment, including mass media and newspapers to the outspoken formers of opinions (Anstead & OLoughlin, 2011). In addition, the social sanction, according to Noelle-Neumann, has a very integral function, and silence is bound to occur when opinions on topics that are regarded to be divisive and controversial are shared among people. Therefore, spiral silence is considered to be a collective phenomenon that involves people relating their respective perspective to those taken by others. In particular, as observed by Jeffres, Neuendorf & Atkin, 2010 when individuals realize that their opinions are gaining popularity or becoming dominant, they tend to openly express their convictions beyond the circle of friends and family. On the other hand, people would shy off expressing their views when they feel their unpopular opinion would lead to their isolation, and this leads to spiral creation, where people become silent in regard to their opinions on political matters (Campus, 2010). The theory of spiral of silence is founded on four major principles, which include: a. That the society threatens people with isolation, hence that should be a constant enhancement of cohesion in social collectives through sufficient agreement levels of goals and values (Anstead & OLoughlin, 2011). b. People have so much fear of being regarded social isolates c. Individuals continuously evaluate the climate of the opinions raised using their respective relationships as well as the media for the purpose of maintaining a high awareness level in regard to the social consensus (Bordignon & Ceccarini, 2013). d. That based on the perception derived from the opinion climate, people may be reluctant or willing to speak out. The spiral of silence theory has been constantly built for over the past two decades with both primary and investigative studies concerning the public opinion, whereas the socio-psychological mechanisms applied by Noelle-Neumann have undergone a wide research, especially on the integral public opinion formation process (Jeffres, Neuendorf & Atkin, 2010). Among the strongest contribution of the theory towards the research is the view taken by NoelleNeumann on public opinion, which is seen as social control. As opposed to the public opinion model taken as rationality, whereby individuals are the rational participants that cause social change, the spiral of silence theory gives a proposal of a model, which equates the public opinion to the pressure that follow others, and the public opinion being regarded as the opinion that could be expressed with no social isolation or sanction. The theory by Noelle-Neumann has been approved by several authors, as well as being tested in several studies, with the sole focus on the political environment in the society. Even though the majority of them approve the original theory by NoelleNeumann, certain studies have equally attempted to investigate particular components of the proposed model of spiral of silence, including the hardcore groups, the fear of isolation, as well as the strategies for use in maintaining silence (Carpentier, 2011). However, even with the widespread theory appreciation, this theory encounters a significant amount of criticism, including the question of whether or not fear of isolation is a reason strong enough to discourage an individual from speaking out. On the other hand, some studies have openly put to doubt the existing link between certain identified elements within the theory, including the use of media, the perception of opinion climate, as well as the individual opinion expression (Bordignon & Ceccarini, 2013). For instance, there are suggestions that media could have a lesser influence compared to other identified factors in the determination of opinion climate. The online Spiral of Silence The criticism laid on the theory of spiral of silence is particularly pronounced in the studies that have evaluated the online form of the theory. The original form of the theory was made within the context of mass media, where the media were perceived to be exercising its strong influence upon the individuals, as well as estimating the majority opinion and the perception of the social climate and social reality (Bordignon & Ceccarini, 2013). According to Noelle-Neumann, the messages passed across using mass media were characterized by cumulation, ambiguity, and consonance. Evidently, social media platform ans the genral internet development has undermined the characteristics, particularly tne consonance. For instance, the web application of the theory is under new conditions that facilitate new online world dynamics, in which the opinion climate perception varies significantly from that held in the traditional media, and in which the new conditions and paradigms can potentially increase the willingness by the people to express their opinions (Anstead & OLoughlin, 2011). Several aspects of the spiral of silence theory have been studies, including the climate opinion perception study within the online settings, which has demonstrated that even the opinions regarded as extreme could be perceived as being moderate, hence provoking the arise of the spiral of moderated expression (Anduiza, Cantijoch & Gallego, 2009). On the other hand, there have been extensive investigations on the changes that occur within the willingness to express one’s views. The anonymity provided by the online platforms has been investigated in comparison to similar behaviors offline. There have been comparisons offered between online and offline application. For instance, Campus (2010) determined if spiral of silence could still explain the individual willingness to speak out in online and offline communication. From the findings, it can be concluded that online spiral of silence application perceives certain major elements of the theory as being under the challenge of new internet dynamics. Anonymity significantly changes an individual’s willingness to speak out, meaning that when people are anonymous, there is a considerable attenuation in their willingness to conform to the views of other people (Anduiza, Cantijoch & Gallego, 2009). The online platform presents a less constrained environment with no sanctions or social pressure, as well as reducing the fear of isolation. The major aspect that impacts on spirals of silence through the online platform is that the internet is perceived as being a hybrid medium, where a fine line is drawn to separate online mass communication from virtual personal communication, hence, it could be hard for people to differentiate the two information sources (Campus, 2010). These forms of mediation are also reflected in the manner of engagement in political discussions. Due to the profound political effects on the modern day activities in politics, particularly in the advanced technological society, where new participation channels or modification of different aspects of existence is done, there has been an extensive study into the political participation on the web in the recent past (Carpentier, 2011). At general levels, there is a widespread embrace of the notion that due to the internet development, there is a top-down as well as the bottom-up practice that promotes dynamically intertwined forms of communication for citizen journalism. On the other hand, there has been the emergence of participatory culture, which are now in use in facilitating possibilities of the perceived communications as mediated by the computers (Anduiza, Cantijoch & Gallego, 2009). Spirals of Silence and US Presidential Elections As demonstrated by the theory, it was expected that individuals would fail to express their respective opinions on the prevailing political discussions of the time when they doubted the popularity of their opinions in the society. On the other hand, those who thought their opinions were the favorite would move to discuss them beyond local settings, thus instilling more fear to other populations beyond their localities. During the 2008 and 2012 US presidential elections, it could be observed that the respective popularity of the winner Barrack Obama and his other losing competitors had a significant level of influence from the different media of public communication (Bordignon & Ceccarini, 2013). For instance, there was a great effect of spiraling silence when Obama emerged to a commanding lead within a very short time over his then competitor Mc Cain in the 2008 race, just months towards the election. Before the elections, the media coverage had indicated that McCain’s popularity was gradually decreasing among many voters, and the controversy that surrounded Sarah Palin, McCain’s running mate was another factor that diminished his chances. Similarly, the media had also showed that there was a significant success on Obama’s side towards winning over more voters, particularly among the younger audience (Anstead & OLoughlin, 2011). In this case, therefore, most of Obama’s supporters believed that their opinions and preferences were growing more popular, and this inevitably lured the undecided voters towards their side. In the meantime, the McCain’s camp of supporters was growing more silent with time, with a section of them losing belief in what they initially thought as being important in their preference. Their unpopular opinion led to their unwillingness to speak out on the matter, and this equally diminished the camp’s ability to lure more supporters . The practical proof of the theory of spiral of silence proved true within the society, and the eventual loss of the election by McCain proves the validity of the theory. From the observations made during the presidential election periods, as portrayed by both media consumption and the visual appearances, there was a strong indication that would force people into believing in the popularity of Obama together with hid Democratic party. On this basis, therefore, an individual would them make determinations on how the created perception compared to the view held by self. Following this realization, a different major assumption regarding the spiral of silence was then developed, there was a great development of fear among the people in isolation, especially when their views seemed to differ from those who supported Obama’s presidency and the Democratic party to which he belonged (Carpentier, 2011). Those that had a contrary view were not willing to advertise their position and beliefs due to fear of appearing as social outcasts, and this would have occurred had they demonstrated their variance from what was regarded normal at the time. The 2012 elections were not different from the previous ones, despite the wider use of the online platform of communication, which would have been expected to enhance self-expression and reduce the fear of isolation due to the anonymity created by the avenue. There is no doubt that many supporters supporters preferred Mitt Romney’s course for the presidency, particularly his campaign strategy that concentrated majorly on the domestic issues, most notably the great recession in relation to job creation and economic recovery. The anonymity platform of the internet may have served better to enhance the Mitt Romney’s chances in the polls, particularly among his supporters, who could speak out their views in his favor without the fear of isolation. However, the general popular view between the two candidates could not be masked wholly, and the popular camp of Obama and Democratic party inevitably influenced a wider voter decision than Romney’s could. This scenario is in line with the theory of spiral of silence, where the less popular views are less likely to be spoken out. However, the presence of avenues to enhance their anonymity gives fair grounds of self-expression. Conclusion From the discussion, the spiral of silence theory is evidently prominent in most of the discussion forums in the modern society, with a particularly enhanced relevance in political issues. The theory’s relevance has been justified through various studies and critical analysis by different scholars despite the resistance it faces from a section of people opposed to it. The fact that majority public opinion affects the expression of the minority views has been significantly proven in different scenarios in the past and in the modern society. May people may have wished to support Obama’s opponents in both of the elections, but were less likely to let their beliefs known, since they could have risked being considered social outcasts, according to the spiral of silence theory. On the other hand, there was much comfort and freedom of the majority camp in their sharing of what they believed in, since they were at a lesser risk of experiencing the social isolation on the basis of their political belief. References Anduiza, E., Cantijoch, M., & Gallego, A. (2009). Political participation and the Internet: A field essay. In Information, Communication & Society, 12(6), 860-878. Anstead, N. & OLoughlin, B. (2011). The Emerging Viewertariat and BBC Question Time: Television Debate and Real-Time Commenting Online. International Journal of Press-Politics 16, 440-62. Bordignon, F. & Ceccarini, L. (2013). Five Stars and a Cricket. Beppe Grillo Shakes Italian Politics. South European Society and Politics, pp. 1-23 Campus, D. (2010). Antipolitics in power: populist language as a tool for government, Cresskill, NJ: Hampton Press. Carpentier, N. (2011). Media and participation: a site of ideological-democratic struggle, Bristol: Intellect. Jeffres, L. W., Neuendorf, K. A., & Atkin, D. (2010). Spirals of silence: Expressing opinions when the climate of opinion is unambiguous. in Political Communication, 16(2): 115-31. Read More