An Overview of Research Related to Spiral of Silence in the Digital Age
Abstract
The spiral of silence theory, as one of the most powerful and influential theory addressing the dynamics between the media and public opinion, has intrigued numerous communication scholars, particularly the political scientists. Based on its contributions to the analysis of political life in the traditional media context, this paper attempts to provide an overview of how the spiral of silence is currently applied to the examination of the constantly evolving climate of public opinion in the cyberspace. Aside from acknowledging this theory’s explaining power in the digital world, this paper also points out some emerging challenges related to new issues such as online anonymity, interactivity, cross-cultural differences and so on. This overview hopefully will offer useful suggestions for further investigation of the spiral of silence in a digital era.