Spiral of Silence

Humans were designed in a way with emotions as their core. It is a prerequisite for humans to let them out. But to express emotions is another thing. To express is to explain. We can seek clarity by letting those emotions out. To let the air break free, you need to open the bag. But before that, you need to fill it first. We perceive, and so we feel. This feeling is guided by a force within us which receives and responds. In that regard, any response is an expression. This force that balances our responses could be called intuition, which indeed is the guiding light.  

We are bound by so many things, values, moral standards, logic, reason, individuality, collectivity etcetera. Some are bounded by religion, some by national or cultural values, or it could be both in the meantime. Sometimes we want to respond to a certain situation. Our intuition gives a green signal, but we are still unable to. The reason could be societal pressure, or an experience from the past, or simply fear. No matter how much we want to, but we still do not express it. We conform to societal pressure or a larger consensus.

This is what Spiral of Silence theory is all about. A German political scientist, Elisabeth Noelle-Neumann proposed in her theory… people go against their will to express themselves to be accepted by society. This theory is entirely based on human behavior and can be implied to psychology, media sciences and political sciences.

In some cases, we cannot express: to speak, to write, to let it out. Sometimes, we go with the common narrative and do not truly express ourselves. And, in some cases, people stay silent because they fear society. They fear, if they express, and take a stand for the right cause, they might face some dire consequences for standing for the truth. To take a stand for right, and the will to express and conformation is what spiral of silence theory is all about. People who are aware, chose to stay silent, and stay in their comfort zone because they fear getting judged, they fear they would get canceled: specifically in today’s context of social media.

“I'm talkin' fear, fear of missin' out on you and me”

– Kendrick Lamar

Another layer to this theory is to bandwagon with the common narrative. People get along, without truly knowing the course or the context, or without getting basic know-how, or without prior research, and they choose aside. Most likely with the consensus. Half-truth is still the truth. But a half-truth is much like the vision of a blind leader. While the one-eyed rebel is canceled by the masses. Bandwagoners can bandwagon with anyone or any cause. Just give it a thought, and the cause-and-effect of any movement, what it could lead to. I am of the view that truth is not absolute. There’s always some margin for error. To minimize the loopholes, and to go for the least harmful situation should be a thing. Critical thinking is the solution to this concern.

As a society, we need to rethink, reevaluate, and relearn our values. Instead of judgment, or naming-shaming someone for their views we should activate values like compassion, empathy, and acceptance. Repressing an expression or staying silent comes with many underlying mental and psychological issues. It is completely alright to express, but at what cost. The person who chooses to express should be careful with their choice of words, to not hurt someone, in their views. Again, to express is a thing, and to express in the right way, by making it presentable is another. You can understand this in the context of takmeel (completion) and ahsan e taqweem (best way to do it).  Speak for yourself, and more importantly, choose for yourself.