Spiral of Silence
Created @December 16, 2022 5:48 PM
Class ICS
Type Class
Stage?
Reviewed
Column
Materials
Reading 1
Reading 2
Spiral of Silence: Introduction
Spiral of Silence was introduced by Elisabeth Noelle-Neumann.
This theory explains the growth and spread of PUBLIC OPINION.
Spiral of Silence: Refers to the increasing pressure people feel to CONCEAL their
views when they are in the minority.
PUBLIC OPINION
Attitudes one can express without running the danger of isolating oneself; a tangible
force that keeps people in line.
How do human beings gauge public opinions and change in opinion trends?
Spiral of Silence 1
, QUASI-STATISTICAL ORGAN: A sixth sense that tallies up information about what
society is thinking and feeling in general.
The energy spent on gauging public opinion is a tiny price to pay as opposed to the idea
of being isolated or differing from others.
FEAR OF ISOLATION
The fear of isolation is the engine that drives the spiral of silence.
People fear rejection and being disrespected.
They also tend to conform to popular opinion to reassure themselves that they are
with the winner.
Fear of Isolation> Being viewed as a conformist
While making this claim, Noelle relies on Solomon Asch’s research that people will
ignore plain evidence of their senses and yield to group pressure.
ROLE OF MASS MEDIA
Noelle believes that mass media perpetuate the muting of the minority opinion.
In order to judge and gauge the changing dynamics of the public opinion through
the quasi-experimental organ, humans need data. This data is provided by direct
observation, TV, and other forms of print media.
Noelle believes that all sorts of media help the hypothetical sixth sense. However,
they don’t always serve us well.
This is because opinions represented and presented by Influential media are often
OVERESTIMATED
A rare case of people mistaking public opinion is PLURALISTIC IGNORANCE. This
is when people mistake the fact that everybody’s opinion is the same as theirs.
Access to media is crucial for OPINION LEADERS. They must be willing to
command media attention in order to shape and influence opinions.
Spiral of Silence 2
Created @December 16, 2022 5:48 PM
Class ICS
Type Class
Stage?
Reviewed
Column
Materials
Reading 1
Reading 2
Spiral of Silence: Introduction
Spiral of Silence was introduced by Elisabeth Noelle-Neumann.
This theory explains the growth and spread of PUBLIC OPINION.
Spiral of Silence: Refers to the increasing pressure people feel to CONCEAL their
views when they are in the minority.
PUBLIC OPINION
Attitudes one can express without running the danger of isolating oneself; a tangible
force that keeps people in line.
How do human beings gauge public opinions and change in opinion trends?
Spiral of Silence 1
, QUASI-STATISTICAL ORGAN: A sixth sense that tallies up information about what
society is thinking and feeling in general.
The energy spent on gauging public opinion is a tiny price to pay as opposed to the idea
of being isolated or differing from others.
FEAR OF ISOLATION
The fear of isolation is the engine that drives the spiral of silence.
People fear rejection and being disrespected.
They also tend to conform to popular opinion to reassure themselves that they are
with the winner.
Fear of Isolation> Being viewed as a conformist
While making this claim, Noelle relies on Solomon Asch’s research that people will
ignore plain evidence of their senses and yield to group pressure.
ROLE OF MASS MEDIA
Noelle believes that mass media perpetuate the muting of the minority opinion.
In order to judge and gauge the changing dynamics of the public opinion through
the quasi-experimental organ, humans need data. This data is provided by direct
observation, TV, and other forms of print media.
Noelle believes that all sorts of media help the hypothetical sixth sense. However,
they don’t always serve us well.
This is because opinions represented and presented by Influential media are often
OVERESTIMATED
A rare case of people mistaking public opinion is PLURALISTIC IGNORANCE. This
is when people mistake the fact that everybody’s opinion is the same as theirs.
Access to media is crucial for OPINION LEADERS. They must be willing to
command media attention in order to shape and influence opinions.
Spiral of Silence 2
