12j614spiral of silence

8/12/2019 12J614Spiral of Silence

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Journalism 614:

Opinion and Perception II:

Spiral of Silence


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What is Public Opinion?

Any opinion held by a majority of citizens?

Democratic view - The General Will

Any opinion about public affairs?

Liberal Democratic view - All are valid

Only reasoned opinion about issues?

Elitist view - Only informed opinions count

Each of these is about forming preferencesand expressing those views


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Another definition

Public opinion is any opinion that canexpressed publicly without sanctions

Can state without fear of social isolation

Here, public opinion is a matter of visibility Minority opinions must be seen for those who hold

them to feel comfortable expressing themselves

This is about the perceptions of the opinionclimate and the ability to speak out without risks


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Media Influence

Direct Method - Communication events,

arguments, and opinions that change the

mind of audience members

Indirect Method - Present indicators of

what already seems to be public opinion Media convey an impression of how accepted an

opinion may be now or in future


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Spiral of Silence

Societal norms can be intimidating

Understand public opinion as a tangible force

Intense social pressure can be brought to bear on the

person who dares to test the boundaries

Perception of distribution of opinion shapes

willingness to express opinions

People express opinions more confidently when they see

they are in the majority or gaining ground

People are unwilling to express opinions that run counter

to their perception of majority view


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Opinion Expression

What opinions can be expressed?

Opinions that do not risk fear of social isolation

Opinions that are publicly visible

Can be a minority opinion, but minority must speakout and act as if it is, or will be, majority

People have a quasi-statistical organ

A sixth sense that provides information aboutwhat society is thinking and feeling

Constantly scan the environment to gauge theclimate of opinion and future trends.


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Fear of Isolation

Fear of social isolation is the key force that

drives the spiral of silence

Group pressure has tremendous influence

We dont like to be excluded for our views

Theory about obedience to authority in

World War II - citizens in Nazi Germany

Noelle-Neumann was Nazi Party member

She worked for Goebbels, head of Nazi Propaganda

Wrote for Das Reich, but later withdrew/recanted


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Social Influence

Considers effects of group settings on

attitudes, opinion expression, behavior

Largely based on experimental research

Solomon Aschs work on social conformity

When do we go along with the group?

Stanley Milgrams work on social compliance

When do we obey authority?


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AschConformity


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Conformity

The Asch studies

Unambiguous situation

Small group setting (10-12)Uniformincorrect assessment

Over one-third concur with incorrect

assessment - go along with the group


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Minority Influence

Judgments about color of slides

Consistent incorrectassessment by minority

Portion of subjects agree in error Implication:

Minority opinion can exert power

Bandwagon vs. Siding with the underdog


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MilgramObedience


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Obedience

Subjects randomly assigned the role of

"teacher" and asked to administered shocks to

"pupils for incorrect responses

Pupils were actually part of the experiment. Act out the effects of progressively higher shocks

What proportion will continue to the highest level when

prodded by the supervisor?

Highest voltage switches (450 volts) were marked with labels

of Danger: Severe Shock and then XXX


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Setup and Scenario

Voltage Confederate Response

75 Grunts

120 Shouts in pain

150 Refuses to continue

200 Blood-curdling screams

300 Refuses to answer

330+ Silence

Objection Supervisors response

First "He's fine. go on.

Second "The experiment requires

you to go on.

Third "It is absolutely essentialto go on.

Fourth "You have no choice. You

must go on."

QuickTime and a

TIFF (Uncompressed) decompressorare needed to see this picture.


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Response of Subjects


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Milgrams Obedience

ExperimentDifferent subjects, locations (~)

Decrease proximity of authority (-)

Increase connection to student (-) Involve obedient others (+)

Involve disobedient others (-)


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When to Speak or Keep Silent

Conformity and compliance have great

social power over individuals

Those in minority positions tend to keep quite

if they do not sense support

Not that they change their minds

Duck their heads and keep their own council


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Summary

People have the ability to gauge trends of

public sentiment

People justifiably fear social isolation

People are hesitant to express minority

viewpoints, especially if losing ground

But where do they get their perceptions?


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Media Influence

Mass media work jointly with majorityopinion to silence minority views

Mass media, particularly TV, suggest what

others are thinking through portrayalsPeople look to the media to see if there is

support and legitimization for views

Index the media to gauge current climate

Provide the words and phrases that people can use todefend a certain point of view


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Critiques of Spiral of Silence

Hardcores - the minority that remains vocal indefiance of threats of isolation

Bill Maher, Dixie Chicks, War Protesters

Pluralistic ignorance and Projection - we tend tomisestimate the prevalence of our views

Quasi-statistical organ doesnt work so well

Weak support outside of WW II Germany

Maybe only operates in totalitarian regimes The ability to find like-minded views online

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