Reflection of EOTO#2 Presentations - Spiral of Silence
The concept Spiral of Silence is very fascinating and was presented by one of my classmates. Many of the theories and ideas we research for our second EOTO presentations could be seen in social media. Spiral of silence in particular interested me because it is one that occurs due to human nature and is only given strength with the addition of platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok.
While my classmate points out that the theory can be disrupted due to the fact that social media can give minority opinions a stronger platform and voice, social media can also discourage people from sharing their views with a wider audience. The Pew Research Center Conducted a study on the concept regarding another topic I’ve addressed on a previous blog post: the Snowden NSA whistleblowing case. 1,801 adults were surveyed, concluding that 86% of Americans were willing to have an in-person conversation about the surveillance program, and only 42% of Facebook and Twitter users were willing to post about it on those platforms. It also was found that of the 14% not willing to discuss the matter really at all, social media did not provide an alternate discussion platform they felt comfortable using. People only seemed to consider sharing their perspective in the media if they knew their followers would agree with them. Otherwise in-person conversations were the most favored form of communication when discussing government surveillance programs in general.
Although this study was conducted in 2014 and may be a little out of touch due to how much social media has grown, I think it provided foundational insights into how the spiral of silence has evolved in our society. While people were comfortable speaking in person about the Snowden issue, the fear of being disagreed with on Facebook, Twitter, and any other type of online medium can be applied to in person interactions. Even if someone doesn’t have the intention of bringing an opinion to social media, someone else could choose to post their thoughts because of how normalized recording and sharing anything is, even if it isn’t yours to share. People may also feel discouraged to speak at all if they see their opinion is already unpopular from other posts.
In the past, public opinion was distributed by the government, newspapers, and just by word of mouth. Now, that opinion is ever-changing and as loud as ever with the help of social media. Everyone has the opportunity to draw attention to their voice if they so choose. This makes it very easy for large groups to re-share messages and difficult for any opposing voice to be heard and it may feel easier not to say anything at all.
The spiral of silence can be applied to understand how horrible events like the Holocaust occurred; the fear of having different opinions and isolation led to a minority being targeted, silenced, and almost destroyed. Social media needs to be monitored and used with an understanding of its negative possibilities to help emphasize dangerous opinions.
