The Spiral of Silence

[rodo]

Note: This was prompted by the current Supernatural discussion, but it is something I have been thinking about a lot, even before now. It is mainly about my own behaviour online and an attempt at rationalising it. This is also not meant to be a generalisation of fandom interaction in general.

The spiral of silence is a much discussed theory. It might or might not exist online, but I think it describes my posting habits very well, so I might actually be the proof of it's existence.

"The theory asserts that a person is less likely to voice an opinion on a topic if one feels that one is in the minority for fear of reprisal or isolation from the majority (Anderson 1996: 214; Miller 2005: 277)."

This happened to me several times already: If I get the feeling that I am in the minority (though I might actually be part of the majority, the numbers are irrelevant to this theory, it's more about what I perceive to be reality), I probably won't tell you my opinions. I learnt the hard way that it is often the best alternative to keep my mouth shut and sit on my hands until it's over. This however, only the case if the issue is an issue of morality. Issues like that include, but are not limited to, race, feminism and sexuality.

So, in order to determine whether I am part of the majority or minority, I will generally start to read what other people post on the subject, and what the reactions are to people who disagree. If the disagreement is discussed in a polite, non-emotional manner, I will probably post something or comment without fear of being shunned should I voice an opinion other people disagree with. If, however, (as is the case with the current Supernatural discussion) I feel as if my side is portraited as being morally wrong/inferior/stupid/evil, I will probably watch from afar until I feel it's safe to say something again. I like discussions, but as soon as things start to develop into an issue of morality, I start to fear reprisals should I say anything different than the perceived majority does.

These reprisals might be dog-piling, flaming, or simply an unpleasant argument with someone whose opinion I generally agree with and whom I like personally. I fear that someone might not like me anymore, to be precise. The spiral of silence can probably only be applied to describe my behaviour because I take online interaction far to seriously, but I can't help that fandom is part of my social life. I'm not sure I want to either. It's the same in RL as well, I am just generally better at judging if I things will turn unpleasant or not.



Last but not least: This is meant to be descriptive. I don't want to get people to change their behaviour, I just want to explain mine. I understand that it is probably difficult to be calm about something if you feel rather passionately about it (even though I am not a very passionate person), and I think that this is very important, because otherwise, nobody would be able to overcome a spiral of silence like the one I am caught up in. So, in a way, I envy anyone who does not feel this way about discussions in fandom.

Comments

Re: Not the OP there but....

[dharma_slut.insanejournal.com]

Hmm.

I don't see the link.

When the mindset of a popular show seems to be deleterious towards a group of people, it seems to me that it's important to discuss it.

It is equally important, after all, to spread discussion of how and why MacDonald's is bad for you-- as it is to refrain from eating it yourself.