Spiral of Silence Theory (EOTO)

 Spiral of Silence Theory 

The spiral of silence theory is a theory that states people tend to stay quiet when their views are the opposite of the majority or that it describes the collective formation and societal decision making. The theory was proposed by German political scientist Elisabeth Noelle-Neumann in 1974. The theory is based on the idea that in a situation people have an intuition that tells them what the majority opinion is. We can see the theory demonstrated in the diagram above. As you move down the spiral people's opinions get less and less close to the majority opinion and people are less and less likely to talk or speak out on their opinion in fear of being isolated socially because of their opinion. 

In order to better understand the spiral of silence, it is helpful to look at a series of hypotheses that connect to the theory. One is that people fear isolation. This is pretty easy to understand as no person loves the feeling as though they are alone or not connected to the world around them.  Another is that people watch to see what ideas are approved or disapproved. This means that in a social setting people are constantly watching one another and determining what idea or opinion is the majority opinion. This allows people to speak out if in the agreement or not based on if their opinion matches the groups. It is meant to how people read a room to not become the outcast of the group. This plays a role in the idea of “isolation pressure”, or the pressure people feel to keep their opinions to themselves in fear of being isolated. This is usually caused by criticism from others. 

When discussing the spiral of silence theory it is important to acknowledge that the whole theory comes from the idea that everyone has a want and need to be and feel accepted into their circle of friends or by the public. As I continued to research the theory and look through the different hypothesis it had I found quite a few very interesting. One was the idea the theory is widely influenced by the media. It is very easy to base your opinion on what you see online or watch on tv. This hypothesis is very up to date within our society because technology plays such a large role and has such a large influence. This is due to the face that the public opinion can operate as a social control over the people of a certain society.Someone who doesnt know who to vote for or what clothing to buy may just base their opinion on what they read and see online. This is because they see that those opinions and ideas are the most accepted within society and wil keep them from seeming like outcasts. The other main hypothesis that I found intriguing was the idea that the spiral can solve conflicts. I found this one most interesting because I at first sawe the spiral as a was of causing conflict becuase it puts on opionon or belief over another. While the spiral mat due this in part it also can solve the conflicts because it integrates the public opionon into society and can fix more simple problems easily. Problems while there are always two sides soemtimes do have a clear answer and the spiral can bring out that answer and spread it widely so all can see and understand it.