The spiral of silence theory is a well-known theory in psychology and has many examples in social media. If you don’t know what the “spiral of silence” is, don’t worry – I didn’t know until a few months ago when I first heard about it.
The spiral of silence has a direct correlation to media, the digital age, and (you guessed it) politics. It has a direct correlation to groupthink and answers the question, “Why do people stay silent when they could speak their minds?”
WHAT IS THE SPIRAL OF SILENCE THEORY?
In 1974, a German political scientist named Elisabeth Noelle-Neumann discovered the spiral of silence theory. Noelle-Neumann’s goal was “to explain how one’s opinion depends on the opinion of others around them [and] explain[s] the interplay behind how trends gain public support” (Inquiries Journal).
Essentially, “the Spiral of Silence theory states that we are more willing to communicate our ideas to others if we believe that most people in the group hold the same view, that is, if we believe that our opinion is in line with the perceived majority opinion” (Science ABC).
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THE FOUR KEY TENETS OF THE SPIRAL OF SILENCE THEORY
The Spiral of Silence theory depends on four basic propositions.
- A “‘quasi-statitistical’” sixth sense that enables people to know what the majority and minority opinions are.
- “Public opinions trigger a ‘spiraling’ process that reveals the majority opinion (Inquiry Journal).
- If anyone dares voice a minority opinion, they will be “threatened with social isolation” (Inquiry Journal).
- And finally, “future opinion dictates the likelihood of one voicing their opinion in public” (Inquiry Journal).
Enough with the fancy psychological terms. Are there “Spiral of Silence theory” examples in the world and media around us? Have you fallen into the Spiral of Silence?
THE MORAL COMPONENT OF THE SPIRAL OF SILENCE THEORY
The Spiral of Silence theory has a moral component because it heavily applies to moral arguments (think legalization of abortion, same-sex marriage, vaccine mandates, etc.). If people in a group think the majority is in favor of these triggerable topics, they may well fall prey to the Spiral of Silence and just sit down and shut up.
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THE SPIRAL OF SILENCE THEORY EXAMPLES
In order to shut up and sit down, a person must have a pulse on what the majority of the crowd around him thinks. This is where that sixth sense (the quasi-statistical organ) comes in. “It helps us understand what other people are thinking and, thereby, provides an idea of the prevailing dominant opinion” (Science ABC).
We, as humans, understand the majority opinion in our daily lives, “including media coverage, environmental observation, or interpersonal discussion” (Inquiries Journal). In fact, Noelle-Neumann “argued that the news media is the most important way for people to use their ‘quasi-statistical’ senses to determine the dominant opinion” (Inquiries Journal).
So then the million-dollar question is this: what happens when the media is all slanted one way? When independent, truthful journalists cease to exist? When people are punished for speaking the truth as a minority opinion?
Nazi Germany is an excellent example of mass media propaganda and how it works. Thousands of Germans went about their daily work without giving a second thought to the thousands of Jews being gassed and incinerated each day. Not long before, these Germans had been neighbors and friends with the very Jews being rounded up on trains for extermination. Why?
[insert groupthink]
Hitler’s Ministry of Propaganda “worked to plant hatred towards Jews in the minds of people [using] radio propaganda, posters, films and cartoons to attack the Jewish community and instill fear in the minds of Germans” (Science ABC).
Still, it boggles the mind that everyday, regular German person could ignore atrocities on such a mass scale. But Hitler understood that all he had to do was target “large masses of uneducated, poverty-stricken Germans who were the most affected by war and would buy into his logic without much resistance”, and it worked (Science ABC).
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HOW DOES THE SPIRAL OF SILENCE THEORY AFFECT YOU?
The Spiral of Silence theory exists to sway public opinion and use the herd mentality to make sure everyone believes the same thing. Who wants to be socially isolated? Who wants to be the weirdo? Who wants to be rejected in the public sphere? And even worse, many people are not even aware of the minority/majority pressure they are facing when they succumb to the silence demanded of them.
The spiral of silence theory affects you when you don’t just believe a lie, but you go one step further and actually advertise that idea.
Take a study that was once done with wine tasting. A group of people were given three samples of wine and told they were told to evaluate the quality of the wine. One sample was tainted with vinegar.
“Before they delivered their evaluation, they listened to other participants, who were plants, who praised the vinegar-laced wine as the best. Half of the participants went against their own taste buds and joined in praising the vinegary concoction” (BreakPoint).
This is a perfect example of people’s fear of being wrong – of going against the loud majority. So, instead of speaking up, they went along with the lie and actually propagated it.
Think also of 2020 and the COVID-19 shutdowns. Very few people protested against these shutdowns. Very few people refused to wear masks and social distance. Very few people questioned the science. Very few people researched the vaccine before taking it.
The herd mentality is a key component of the spiral of silence theory and its consequences to those who do speak up on a minority opinion.
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CONCLUSION
The spiral of silence is shutting down freedom of speech in America. We no longer protest lies. We no longer hold our political or religious leaders accountable. We no longer think for ourselves. We fear social isolation so much that we go along with the lies. And then we start propagating them ourselves.
Just look at masks. If you didn’t wear a mask in 2020, you were ostracized, beaten, spat on, and kicked out of public places.
Look at the COVID shot. If you didn’t get it, you’re facing ostracism, the inability to buy from stores, and worse.
It’s time to kick out of the spiral of silence and speak the truth regardless of majority opinion. You might just find out that your “minority” opinion is now a majority.