To comment or not to comment: Examining the influences of anonymity and social support on one’s willingness to express in online news discussions

Abstract

This study examines the effects of online anonymity and different sources of social influence on the Spiral of Silence phenomenon in online news discussions about abortion. The results (N = 339) substantiated that technical anonymity predicts one’s perceived anonymity, but only the latter significantly increases one’s willingness to post personal opinions in the comment sections. Perceived support from other commenters was also found to reduce the online Spiral of Silence phenomenon. With fear of isolation, moreover, the state-based approach is verified to be more robust than the trait-like approach, advancing Noelle-Neumann’s original conceptualization. Study findings thus offer support for a more comprehensive conceptualization of Spiral of Silence components operating in online contexts.

Keywords

Abortion fear of isolation online anonymity online news comments online social support opinion expression Spiral of Silence

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Anonymous (1998) To reveal or not to reveal: a theoretical model of anonymous communication. Communication Theory 8(4): 381–407.

boyd

Ellison

(2007) Social network sites: definition, history, and scholarship. Journal of Computer–Mediated Communication 13(1): 210–230.

Carlton

Nelson

Coleman

(2000) College students’ attitudes toward abortion and commitment to the issue. The Social Science Journal 37(4): 619–625.

Chan

(2018) Reluctance to talk about politics in face-to-face and Facebook settings: examining the impact of fear of isolation, willingness to self-censor, and peer network characteristics. Mass Communication and Society 21(1): 1–23.

Christopherson

(2007) The positive and negative implications of anonymity in Internet social interactions: “on the internet, nobody knows you’re a dog.” Computers in Human Behavior 23(6): 3038–3056.

Dalisay

Hmielowski

Kushin

et al . (2012) Social capital and the spiral of silence. International Journal of Public Opinion Research 24(3): 325–345.

Dubrovsky

Kiesler

Sethna

(1991) The equalization phenomenon: status effects in computer-mediated and face-to-face decision-making groups. Human-Computer Interaction 6(2): 119–146.

Ely

Flaherty

Akers

et al . (2012) Social work student attitudes toward the social work perspective on abortion. Journal of Social Work Values and Ethics 9(2): 34–45.

Gallup.com (2015) Americans choose “pro-choice” for first time in seven years. Available at: http://www.gallup.com/poll/183434/americans-choose-pro-choice-first-time-seven-years.aspx?g_source=abortion&g_medium=search&g_campaign=tiles (accessed 2 October 2015).

10.

Gearhart

Zhang

(2018) Same spiral, different day? Testing the spiral of silence across issue types. Communication Research 45(1): 34–54.

11.

Glynn

McLeod

(1984) Public opinion du jour: an examination of the spiral of silence. Public Opinion Quarterly 48(4): 731–740.

12.

Glynn

McLeod

(1985) Implications of the spiral of silence theory for communication and public opinion research. In: Sanders

Kaid

Nimmo

(eds) Political Communication Yearbook, 1984. Carbondale, IL; Edwardsville, IL: Southern Illinois University Press, pp. 43–65.

13.

Glynn

Park

(1997) Reference groups, opinion intensity, and public opinion expression. International Journal of Public Opinion Research 9(3): 213–232.

14.

Glynn

Hayes

Shanahan

(1997) Perceived support for one’s opinions and willingness to speak out: a meta-analysis of survey studies on the “spiral of silence.” Public Opinion Quarterly 61: 452–463.

15.

Hampton

Rainie

et al . (2014) Social Media and the “Spiral of Silence.” Washington, DC: Pew Research Center. Available at: http://www.pewinternet.org/2014/08/26/social-media-and-the-spiral-of-silence/ (accessed 20 October 2017).

16.

Hayes

Matthes

Eveland

(2013) Stimulating the quasi-statistical organ: fear of social isolation motivates the quest for knowledge of the opinion climate. Communication Research 40(4): 439–462.

17.

Hayne

Rice

(1997) Attribution accuracy when using anonymity in group support systems. International Journal of Human-Computer Studies 47(3): 429–452.

18.

High

Solomon

(2011) Locating computer-mediated social support within online communication environments. In: Wright

Webb

(eds) Computer-mediated Communication in Personal Relationships. New York: Peter Lang, pp. 119–136.

19.

Chen

VHH

Sim

(2013) The spiral of silence: Examining how cultural predispositions, news attention, and opinion congruency relate to opinion expression. Asian Journal of Communication 23(2): 113–134.

20.

McLeod

(2008) Social-psychological influences on opinion expression in face-to-face and computer-mediated communication. Communication Research 35(2): 190–207.

21.

Jackson

Gillaspy

Purc-Stephenson

(2009) Reporting practices in confirmatory factor analysis: an overview and some recommendations. Psychological Methods 14(1): 6–23.

22.

Kahn

Antonucci

(1980) Convoys over the life course: attachment, roles, and social support. In: Baltes

Brim

(eds) Life-Span Development and Behavior, vol. 3. New York: Academic Press, pp. 253–286.

23.

Kiesler

Seigel

McGuire

(1984) Social psychological aspects of computer-mediated communication. American Psychologist 39(10): 1123–1134.

24.

Kim

(2014) Talking about genetically modified (GM) foods in South Korea: the role of the internet in the spiral of silence process. Mass Communication and Society 17(5): 713–732.

25.

Lin

Salwen

(1997) Predicting the spiral of silence on a controversial public issue. Howard Journal of Communications 8(1): 129–141.

26.

Liu

Rui

Cui

(2017) Are people willing to share their political opinions on Facebook? Exploring roles of self-presentational concern in spiral of silence. Computers in Human Behavior 76: 294–302.

27.

Luarn

Hsieh

(2014) Speech or silence: the effect of user anonymity and member familiarity on the willingness to express opinions in virtual communities. Online Information Review 38(7): 881–895.

28.

Matthes

Knoll

von Sikorski

(2018) The “spiral of silence” revisited: a meta-analysis on the relationship between perceptions of opinion support and political opinion expression. Communication Research 45(1): 3–33.

29.

Matthes

Morrison

Schemer

(2010) A spiral of silence for some: attitude certainty and the expression of political minority opinions. Communication Research 37(6): 774–800.

30.

Meyer

Speakman

(2016) Quieting the commenters: The spiral of silence’s persistent effect on online news forums. The Journal of the International Symposium on Online Journalism 6(1). Available at: https://isojjournal.wordpress.com/2016/04/14/quieting-the-commenters-the-spiral-of-silences-persistent-effect-on-online-news-forums/ (accessed 28 February 2018).

31.

Moy

Domke

Stamm

(2001) The spiral of silence and public opinion on affirmative action. Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly 78(1): 7–25.

32.

Nekmat

Gonzenbach

(2013) Multiple opinion climates in online forums role of website source reference and within-forum opinion congruency. Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly 90(4): 736–756.

33.

Neubaum

Krämer

(2018) What do we fear? Expected sanctions for expressing minority opinions in offline and online communication. Communication Research 45(2): 139–164.

34.

Neuwirth

Frederick

Mayo

(2007) The spiral of silence and fear of isolation. Journal of Communication 57: 450–468.

35.

Noelle-Neumann

(1993) The Spiral of Silence: Public Opinion, Our Social Skin. 2nd ed. Chicago, IL: The University of Chicago Press.

36.

Oshagan

(1996) Reference group influence on opinion expression. International Journal of Public Opinion Research 8(4): 335–354.

37.

Padilla-Walker

Jensen

(2015) Validation of the long-and short-form of the Ethical Values Assessment (EVA): a questionnaire measuring the three ethics approach to moral psychology. International Journal of Behavioral Development 40(2): 181–192.

38.

Pang

Zhang

et al . (2016) Can spiral of silence and civility predict click speech on Facebook? Computers in Human Behavior 64: 898–905.

39.

Pew Research Center (2017a) Public Opinion on Abortion: Views on Abortion, 1995-2016. Available at: http://www.pewforum.org/2017/01/11/public-opinion-on-abortion-2/#views-about-abortion-2016-a-detailed-look (accessed 29 March 2017).

40.

Pew Research Center (2017b) Internet/ broadband fact sheet. Available at: http://www.pewinternet.org/fact-sheet/internet-broadband/ (accessed 29 March 2017).

41.

Rössler

Schulz

(2014) Public opinion expression in online environments. In: Donsbach

Salmon

Tsfati

(eds) The Spiral of Silence: New Perspectives on Communication and Public Opinion. New York: Routledge, pp. 101–118.

42.

Sahar

Karasawa

(2005) Is the personal always political? A cross-cultural analysis of abortion attitudes. Basic and Applied Social Psychology 27(4): 285–296.

43.

Salmon

Neuwirth

(1990) Perceptions of opinion “climates” and willingness to discuss the issue of abortion. Journalism Quarterly 67(3): 567–577.

44.

Santana

(2014) Virtuous or vitriolic: the effect of anonymity on civility in online newspaper reader comment boards. Journalism Practice 8(1): 18–33.

45.

Scheufele

Eveland

(2001) Perceptions of “public opinion” and “public” opinion expression. International Journal of Public Opinion Research 13(1): 25–44.

46.

Scheufele

Shanahan

Lee

(2001) Real talk: manipulating the dependent variable in spiral of silence research. Communication Research 28(3): 304–324.

47.

Sherrick

Hoewe

(2018) The effect of explicit online comment moderation on three spiral of silence outcomes. New Media & Society 20(2): 453–474.

48.

Siegel

Dubrovsky

Kiesler

et al . (1986) Group processes in computer-mediated communication. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes 37(2): 157–187.

49.

Soffer

Gordoni

(2018) Opinion expression via user comments on news websites: Analysis through the perspective of the spiral of silence. Information, Communication & Society 21(3): 388–403.

50.

Sproull

Kiesler

(1991) Computers, networks and work. Scientific American 265(3): 116–123.

51.

Suler

(2004) The online disinhibition effect. Cyberpsychology & Behavior 7(3): 321–326.

52.

Walther

Boyd

(2002) Attraction to computer-mediated social support. In: Lin

Atkin

(eds) Communication Technology and Society: Audience Adoption and Uses. Cresskill, NJ: Hampton Press, pp. 153–188.

53.

Wang

Hmielowski

Hutchens

et al . (2017) Extending the spiral of silence: partisan media, perceived support, and sharing opinions online. Journal of Information Technology & Politics 14(3): 248–262.

54.

Willnat

Lee

Detenber

(2002) Individual-level predictors of public outspokenness: a test of the spiral of silence theory in Singapore. International Journal of Public Opinion Research 14(4): 391–412.

55.

Wright

(2012) Emotional support and perceived stress among college students using Facebook.com: an exploration of the relationship between source perceptions and emotional support. Communication Research Reports 29(3): 175–184.

56.

Yun

Park

(2011) Selective posting: willingness to post a message online. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication 16(2): 201–227.

57.

Zaichkowsky

(1985) Measuring the involvement construct. Journal of Consumer Research 12(3): 341–352.

58.

Zerback

Fawzi

(2017) Can online exemplars trigger a spiral of silence? Examining the effects of exemplar opinions on perceptions of public opinion and speaking out. New Media & Society 19(7): 1034–1051.

Supplementary Material

Please find the following supplemental material available below.

For Open Access articles published under a Creative Commons License, all supplemental material carries the same license as the article it is associated with.

For non-Open Access articles published, all supplemental material carries a non-exclusive license, and permission requests for re-use of supplemental material or any part of supplemental material shall be sent directly to the copyright owner as specified in the copyright notice associated with the article.

0.00 MB

1.11 MB