Can online exemplars trigger a spiral of silence?

Zerback, Thomas und Fawzi, Nayla (2017): Can online exemplars trigger a spiral of silence? Examining the effects of exemplar opinions on perceptions of public opinion and speaking out. In: New Media & Society, Bd. 19, Nr. 7: S. 1034-1051

Abstract

In modern media environments, social media have fundamentally altered the way how individual opinions find their way into the public sphere. We link spiral of silence theory to exemplification research and investigate the effects of online opinions on peoples’ perceptions of public opinion and willingness to speak out. In an experiment, we can show that a relatively low number of online exemplars considerably influence perceived public support for the eviction of violent immigrants. Moreover, supporters of eviction were less willing to speak out on the issue online and offline when confronted with exemplars contradicting their opinion.

• Dokumententyp: Zeitschriftenartikel
• Keywords: Exemplification; hate speech; public opinion perception; spiral of silence online; user comments
• Fakultät: Sozialwissenschaften > Kommunikationswissenschaft
• Themengebiete: 300 Sozialwissenschaften > 300 Sozialwissenschaft, Soziologie ; 300 Sozialwissenschaften > 380 Handel, Kommunikation, Verkehr
• ISSN: 1461-7315
• Allianz-/Nationallizenz: Dieser Beitrag ist mit Zustimmung des Rechteinhabers aufgrund einer (DFG-geförderten) Allianz- bzw. Nationallizenz frei zugänglich.
• Bemerkung: Article first published online: January 25, 2016
• Sprache: Englisch