Spiral of Silence in Social Media

Internet social media sites may be the new communication medium, but according to a new study, they are not being used for hard news subjects. Keith Hampton, a key author of the study comments. “Most people aren’t using facebook and twitter to find news about important issues. In fact, really a minority of facebook and twitter users are using it for hard news.” Although social media outlets may have the ability to put large amounts of people from many different places in touch with one another; the issues they may discuss rarely delve into political issues, adds Hampton. “What we found was that when people were interacting online they were less likely to share their opinions on facebook and twitter when they felt that their facebook followers and their twitter followers didn’t agree with their opinion.” The study found that people tend not to express their political views if they feel it will be unpopular to friends or followers of their social media accounts, concludes Hampton. “When they felt that they were in that minority opinion they were less likely to speak out not only online but they are also less likely to speak out in physical settings such as at community meetings, when they are out in public with friends and even in the workplace.” The Pew Research Center conducted the study on the spiral of silence in social media.