The Spiral of Silence is a psychological and communicational theory referring to people’s tendency to audibly shield their true beliefs due to their perceived assumption of it being oppositional to that of the majority. The theory goes on to discuss how humans are always observing and mentally taking note of their environment, the social interactions they’re a part of, and how they individually compare to the people around them. There are plenty of reasons as to justify why one would feel obligated not to share their opinion, but the primary reason highlighted by the theory is fear of isolation. The fear that those around the group will treat an individual differently and/or negatively once they know they have opinions contrasting from that of the group. Spiral of Silence could also apply in a professional environment to an employee who fears speaking out about or against the company they work for assuming it would get them fired and/or punished in some way.
The theory was created by a German political scientist named Elisabeth Noelle-Neuman. Communicationtheory.org’s article on the theory claims that, “Through this Spiral of Silence theory Neumann indirectly explains the Jews status during World War II under Nazi’s control. Here, Adolf Hitler dominated the whole society and the minority Jews became silent due to the fear of isolation or separation” (2011). In Germany during WWII, Jews feared for their lives on a daily basis. Due to their steadily declining social status at the time, members of the Jewish religion had to minimize the chances of “isolation or separation” and often the most effective means of doing so, was to remain silent. The theory however is not absolute and has some weaknesses. One notable defect being the internet and how it allows users to feel less threatened socially, resulting in higher levels of confidence in reference to posting opinions which don’t support or go against that of mainstream mass media outlets. The internet grants users the ability to recreate themselves through their virtual presence and voice their more critical opinions from a position which expects fewer emotional repercussions from the other party.
I have never been one to enjoy debating politics unless it’s in a safe environment for all parties involved. The reason for my distaste regarding political discussion is solely due to the 2016 United States Presidential elections. I was in my senior year and attended an extremely democratic high school with students and friend groups that would immediately shun you away if they found out or heard you support any traditional opinion from the right. In addition to that, I would drive home each day to my parents who both majorly share republican ideals. Thankfully I never received any kind of noticeable pressure from my family as to where my political affiliation should lie. I stopped using Facebook altogether due to my disdain for how much political toxicity was displayed over and over on the platform by my friends and family. I remained deep in the spiral of silence and preferred not partaking in political discussion for many years of my life before I started putting more effort into discovering my true political beliefs. I know that I am not alone and plenty of others preferred to remain silent rather than risk social isolation.
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