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Can Social Media Resolve the 'Spiral of Silence'?

TMCnet Feature

August 27, 2014

Can Social Media Resolve the 'Spiral of Silence'?

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By Ben Linton
Contributing Writer

Pew (News - Alert) Research Center released a study yesterday that assessed the “spiral of silence” on social media.


The “spiral of silence” is the tendency of people not to speak up about policy issues in public when they believe their own point of view is not widely shared. Many social media inventors believe that platforms such as Facebook and Twitter (News - Alert) may produce discussion venues that allows for those with minority views to freely express their opinions.

In order to test this theory on a widely controversial topic, Pew Research Center interviewed 1,801 adults about their opinions regarding Edward Snowden's revelations of widespread government surveillance of Americans' phone and email records. Participants were assessed on their willingness to talk about the controversy in various in-person and online settings, and their perceptions of the views of others in a variety of online and off-line contexts.

Among the many findings from the survey, Pew Research Center noted several key insights in regards to online behavior and controversial issues. The study found that people were less willing to discuss the Snowden-NSA story in social media than they were in person. While 86 percent of Americans were willing to have an in-person conversation about the issue, only 42 percent felt compelled to use Facebook (News - Alert) and Twitter to post about their feelings. Pew Research Center discovered that in personal and online settings, people were more likely to share their views if they believed their audience was in agreement with them. Finally, the survey discovered that previous “spiral of silence” findings about people's willingness to speak up in various settings also apply to social media users. Facebook users were more willing to share their views on the Snowden-NSA issue if they believed their followers agreed with them, and were twice as likely to join a discussion about the topic.

The results from the study indicate that in the Snowden case, social media did not provide an avenue for discussion for those who would otherwise remain silent. In addition, if people thought their friends and followers on social media were likely to disagree with their opinion, they were less willing to state their views online about the Snowden-NSA case. This suggests that the broad awareness that social media users have of their network makes them especially tuned in to the opinions of others, therefore causing them to be hesitant to speak their piece. Possible reasons for this activity could be due to the fear of being isolated, bullied or ostracized online by one's social media network.

Social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook are great for sharing stories and connecting with distant friends, but may not be the ideal place to voice opinions on controversial topics. The younger generation is beginning to discover the latest news and issues around the world via these social media sites, which raises concern as to how they conduct themselves when discussing the issues. Face-to-face interaction may still be the best way to express your opinion and to become educated about the world's problems. Often times, arguments on social media evolve into fruitless arguments in which neither side wins. And, the readers do not benefit from viewing the quarrel. People have more confidence to say things online that they would rarely disclose in a personal interaction. It is our responsibility to discover a public forum where we can engage in face-to-face civil discourse to be enlightened about the conflicts in the world for the benefit of everyone. 




Edited by Maurice Nagle


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