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... > social science subjects > communication and media studies > communication studies > communication theory > information, media, and communication technology > spiral of silence
... > social science subjects > communication and media studies > communication studies > political communications > political communication theory > spiral of silence
... > social science subjects > communication and media studies > media studies > media forms > journalism > political communications > political communication theory > spiral of silence
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Preferred term

spiral of silence  

Definition

  • Spiral of silence theory argues that public opinion is a powerful force in contemporary society and explains the role of the mass media in contributing to—and even magnifying—the effects of that force. Since the publication of the initial version of spiral of silence in a 1974 journal article by Elisabeth Noelle-Neumann, a leading German communication scholar and public-opinion researcher, the theory and its associated methodological approach have had important implications, both in the United States and internationally, for interpersonal, group, and mediated communication, as well as for sociology, social psychology, political science, and even marketing. [Source: Encyclopedia of Communication Theory; Spiral of Silence]

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https://concepts.sagepub.com/social-science/concept/spiral_of_silence

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