The Spiral of Silence

I came across a good read on the blogosphere which was perfectly in tune with the theme I prefer to talk about in this blog: Expressions.Matthew talks about the importance of expressing your opinions, without fearing if your opinion is in the minority or majority thought-pool. He talks about healthy debates. I take this opportunity to describe in detail what Matthew has described- the importance of self-expression.

Wonder what the title ‘Spiral of Silence’ has got to do with expressions? Well, a lot.
Spiral of Silence is a well researched media term dealing with expressions supressed due to a majority opinion. Not clear? Well, here’s an explanation.

Picture this- You simply hate Paris Hilton, but heck- she’s all over the papers! So how do you go about announcing your dislike towards a very established and well received personality? Simple- You decide to keep silent.

It may so be, that like you, there are hundreds and thousands who hate Paris Hilton (or George Bush!), but assuming that the popular sentiment is against their preference, they keep silent. Or even worse, they superficially accept and announce the choices which are ‘popular’ at that time. This entire situation, my dear friends, is the Spiral of Silence.

Noelle-Neumann put forward this mass communication theory in an attempt to find out what drove people to support wrong political decisions in Germany during the World War era. In recent times, analysts have applied this theory to the 1991 gulf war, wondering if the media propaganda led to a spiral of silence.

Spiral of Silence is literally the death of expressions at the most macro levels. So, next time, be sure you express yourself without being conscious of ‘what others think’.

Expressions can give you spontaneity, freedom and are a great emotional therapy. Don’t suppress your laughter, don’t worry about appearing stupid. You may never realize when your remaining silent becomes a part of a larger, more serious matter of concern.

Feel free, Express Yourself!

(To read Matthew Carroll’s article, click