The Spiral of Silence

 The Spiral of Silence is a theory in human communication proposed by Elisabeth-Noelle Neumann in 1974. It theorizes that people’s willingness to express their opinions on controversial public issues is affected by their largely unconscious perception of those opinions as being either popular or unpopular.

The better implications of this theory are that it can unite a populace around issues widely accepted as wrong or incorrect, and deter those with opinions of rather nefarious intent. Explaining the basis of societies moral standards.

On the other hand, it can dissuade those who would push for change; they would be in opposition to a collective rather than the minority.

The spiral works on the assumption that the opinion has an ambiguous potent moral factor. There are weaknesses to the theory, one being the vocal minority.

The most prominent modern example would be what is now referred to as ‘cancel culture.’ Individuals who go against the collective can be deemed ‘cancelled’ for something as simple as saying the wrong thing, which can lead to job loss, ostracization as a whole, hate comments, and death threats. 

Differing from cancel culture, the Spiral of Silence encompasses the minority not speaking for fear of backlash, then others assuming the more spoken opinion is and will continue to be the majority, fewer people will voice their ideas or opinions, and thus spiraling in an endless cycle. The Spiral of Silence doesn’t  just affect an individual for their actions, but the intent and their opinion, and even at times, a culture in itself can be suppressed from the concept of backlash or ostracization

Cancelling those who are morally or politically corrupt when systems in our government won't or don’t work would be the positive of the Spiral of Silence. The flip side is when we cancel those undeserving of a vicious slew of hatred. It's for this very same cancel culture stemming from the spiral of silence that there are those who are victimized, scared of speaking up, or those who value their livelihoods that don't risk it for fear of backlash.

When addressing the segment of a populace affected by the spiral of silence, it is anyone not of the inherent majority; it is one of the few ways that a society would backlash against a more prominent ruling upper-class. The only way that a minority group benefits from this is when acceptance and protections of those groups becomes a majority opinion.

 

On a more personal note, the spiral of silence, whilst not directly influencing me, still leaves an effect on even my day-to-day life. As an example, I’ll use a very popular author whose name I won't mention; she has opinions that differ from the collective majority of her readers, and although I only care about the literature itself, it has since become a societal negative to even associate with the author and thus their work. I couldn’t name how many celebrities and artists are now ‘cancelled’. 

As for my generation, I fear that it is  a form of fear-mongering to be cancelled, to say the wrong thing, then have everything you’ve worked for stripped away, even if it's a misunderstanding or even worse, a lie or rumor. Elisabeth Noelle-Neumann proposed her theory in 1974, and it has only been exemplified with the technological advancements seen in each generation. 

Thank you.

My little brother has had students expelled from his school for the misuse of language. He could go online, make a video, and essentially ruin the rest of his career.

TedTalks & Privacy

 The First Tedtalk about Tattoos, Greek tales, and immortality was very interesting in its comparison to how our digital footprint leaves an everlasting tattoo on our lives. As technology progresses, we find ourselves with less and less privacy, losing protections faster than we can gain them, if any protections in general. This was personally intriguing to me as well, as someone who loves mythological tales, the comparisons and warnings given even hundreds of years ago are being applied to our own modern-day form of immortality.

Military equipment is being used to surveil us, and they keep that data, and even weapons are being used against protestors, which is ironic given that we are paying for the very things used to surveil us. Police deliberately pass by specific locations to read license plates, using cell towers, tracking signals inside homes of the completely innocent is practically screaming surveillance state.

“Our telephones and the networks that carry our calls were wired for surveillance first and foremost.” Hackers, criminals, stalkers, and foreign intelligence who can tap into those networks are easily capable of listening. Countries like China have already hacked into easily wiretapped services like Google to monitor individuals, and Greece’s largest telephone company has been hacked to spy on high political figures like the prime minister and the cabinet. The Backdoor is built into our everyday services, which can be used by the government or by any nefarious individuals. Having secure communications on a wide scale is far better than having no privacy at all.

In 2025, the TAKE IT DOWN act was passed, a bill that criminalizes the nonconsensual publication of intimate images, including "digital forgeries”. In 2025, this bill was passed. I’ve personally heard horror stories of girls in school having AI used nonconsensually to plaster their faces in explicit photos. The fact that we only just passed a modicum of protection in this regard is telling for how our Congress is keeping up in the digital age. Revenge porn is as common as 1 in 10 women over 30, with only minor repercussions against this exploitation.

The Promotion of Innovation

The seventh value of freedom of expression speaks out to me as particularly important because of its role in my everyday life. The freedom to promote innovation actively encourages creativity and creation in a society. 

As a Game Design major and someone who enjoys art and reading, this freedom affects me every day. The most stark contrast to this freedom that I’ve witnessed is the censorship laws, particularly enforced by countries like China. I’ve personally read books where topics like dissent among the people, rebellion in countries, and mentions of the dead are censored because of these laws. Most books I’ve read have at least one topic that needs to be alluded to by the author or metaphorically referred to because of censorship. I have books published in Singapore written by authors who can’t publish in their own countries, and movies like Pixar’s Coco have to have special permission to be aired. In the United States, we have guidelines and warnings for what can be aired, but we have so much freedom that reading through censorship like I have or hearing about it truly makes me appreciate this freedom all the more. 

It isn’t until you lose something that you realize you had it in the first place. Resources like Google, Gmail, and YouTube are banned in censored countries like China. It’s truly no wonder that America is the leading global entertainment hub in the world.

Jack Balkin describes in ‘Living Originalism’ that “ Successful social and political mobilization changes political culture, which changes constitutional culture, which in turn changes constitutional practices outside of the courts and constitutional doctrine within them.”(18) Balkin does a wonderful job describing that, aside from a more casual influence, the promotion of innovation is also the basis for social movements, leading to structures that a political party would create for its regimes and the nexus of judicial constructions.

I find news of authors arrested after their books are published and finding themselves with felony charges for writing a book, a book that had gone through multiple individuals' and regulations, only to still be criminalized because of the lack of freedom of expression. Movies like Back to the Future and James Cameron’s Avatar are banned at the whim of a select group of individuals controlled by an even more select group of elite politicians. 

Focusing on China and its stark contrast to the United States is fascinating in the differences both types of societies have. One of these contrasts would be how stark copyright infringement is in China. One of the reasons why piracy is so huge overseas is the lack of protection afforded to creators, with the basis of its regulatory actions made in an effort to defend its government rather than its people. It is hardly any wonder that so many creators export to countries with freer regulatory actions.

It is through my own personal experience as an artist, reader, and avid pursuer of the creation of media that allows me to appreciate the protection that the First Amendment supplies to the people of America.

Top 5 Sources of News

 #1 Google

Whether it be to confirm news from another source or to find more information about a topic, I use Google every day. It's where I a wide range of news sites, from large News outlets like CNN to sites like Reddit. I almost always access my information through Google.

#2 Instagram

It's typically as a joke/ meme or a skit that I'll receive news about a current event, and it is usually the fastest way that I receive information, although not the most accurate. When it comes to current events for more pop culture news, like game release dates, voting events, or upcoming shows/movies, it is very useful.

#3 YouTube

When I want an in-depth explanation for a topic Youtube is my go-to. There are often various individuals at any given moment on the platform willing to go over a topic or even live-stream events with various news platforms on the site.

#4 Family and Friends

Usually, my Mom, who occasionally watches Good Morning America or CNN, will tell me about more niche topics that don't come across my feed, like new inventions or policies/laws. Although not always seen as the most relevant or eye-catching, it's very convenient, especially when it comes to something that I wouldn't have ever known about. Convenient as well, with Good Morning America having a segment from local stations.

#5 Apple News

Just a right swipe away from my lock screen, Apple News has a wide range of current topics. Although I don't typically read the articles, it is very convenient when it comes to News and more trending topics. Unlike most platforms It isnt currated specially for a target audience but rather the wide range of individuals who use Apple and its products. An honorable mention as well for the weather app.