探究“沉默的螺旋”理論與網(wǎng)絡傳播的關系

北京理工大學珠海學院2020屆本科生畢業(yè)論文PAGEIIExploringtheRelationshipbetween“theSpiralofSilence”andNetworkCommunicationExploringtheRelationshipbetween“theSpiralofSilence”andNetworkCommunicationAbstract“TheSpiralofSilence”isatheoreticalhypothesisthatdescribestheformationofpublicopinion.Massmediacreateaclimateofopinionforthepublic,andbecausepeopleareafraidofsocialisolation,theywilltakeaconvergenceactiononthedominantclimate.Asaresult,thevoiceofonesideisgettinglouderandthatoftheotherisbecomingmoresilent.OntheInternet,itisdifficulttoexertgrouppressureontheInternetaudiencebecauseoftheequality,anonymityandfreedomfromgeographicalrestrictionsoftheInternet,andthetheoryalsolosesitspracticalsignificance.Thispaperstartsfromthecoreconceptandtheoreticalhypothesisof“theSpiralofSilence”,andstudiestheeffectof“theSpiralofSilence”onnetworkcommunicationbasedonthecharacteristicsofnetworkcommunication.Accordingtotherelationshipbetween“theSpiralofSilence”andnetworkcommunication,“theSpiralofSilence”playsaroleincurrentnetworkcommunicationasbefore.Onthisbasis,theauthorproposesthreestrategiesforcreatingahealthynetworkcommunicationenvironment:first,cultivatingauthoritativeopinionleaders;second,establishingnewmainstreammediaandexpandingtheinfluenceofmainstreamvalues;third,improvingthesystemofgatekeepers.Keywords:“theSpiralofSilence”,networkcommunication,publicopinion探究“沉默的螺旋”理論與網(wǎng)絡傳播的關系摘要“沉默的螺旋”是一種用于描述輿論形成過程的假設性理論。大眾媒體向公眾營造出一個意見氣候，但出于對社會孤立的懼怕，人們會對優(yōu)勢氣候采取趨同行動，這勢必將導致一方聲音越來越大，而另一方越來越沉默的螺旋式過程。在網(wǎng)絡時代，由于互聯(lián)網(wǎng)具有平等性、匿名性和不受地域限制的特點。從而導致在互聯(lián)網(wǎng)上，很難對受眾施加群體壓力，繼而導致了該理論喪失了其現(xiàn)實意義。本文從“沉默的螺旋”的核心概念和理論假設出發(fā)，并結合網(wǎng)絡傳播的一些特點，對該問題進行研究。在通過探究“沉默的螺旋”與網(wǎng)絡傳播的關系后，可知曉“沉默的螺旋”在網(wǎng)絡傳播中仍然發(fā)揮著作用?；诖耍瑸榱藸I造健康網(wǎng)絡傳播環(huán)境，作者提出了三種策略，分別是：（1）培養(yǎng)權威型的意見領袖；（2）建成新型主流媒體，擴大主流價值影響力版圖；（3）完善把關人體系。關鍵詞：“沉默的螺旋”；網(wǎng)絡傳播；輿論ContentsAbstract Ⅰ摘要 ⅡIntroduction 11TheContentof“theSpiralofSilence” 32ConditionsfortheExistenceof“theSpiralofSilence”inNetworkCommunication 42.1CommentMechanismofSocialNetwork:ConstructionofOpinionAtmosphere 42.2InteractivityofSocialCommunication:IllusionofSpeakingFreely 52.3SimilarityofSocialCommunicationContent:ControlofMainstreamOpinions 63Challengesof“theSpiralofSilence”intheContextofNetworkCommunication 83.1TheContentof“theAnti-SpiralofSilence” 83.2ChallengesfromNetizensinNetworkCommunication 93.2.1TheWeakeningInfluenceofMainstreamOpinionsbytheDiversityofCommunicationSubjects 93.2.2TheReducedGroupPressurebyUserAnonymity 104ProblemsCausedby“theSpiralSilence”inNetworkCommunication 124.1HerdMentality:FearofSocialIsolation 124.2IndividualCharacter:SilentAudienceinSociety 134.3RiskLevelandCostofRelevantActions 135StrategiesforCreatingaHealthyNetworkCommunication 155.1DevelopingAuthoritativeOpinionLeaders 155.2BuildingaNewMainstreamMediaandExpandingtheInfluenceofMainstreamValue 165.3ImprovingtheSystemofGatekeepers 16Conclusion 19References 20Acknowledgments 22PAGE1Introduction“TheSpiralofSilence”isatheoreticalhypothesisthatdescribestheformationofpublicopinionputforwardbyElisabethNoelle-Neumann.She(1984,pp.137-138)believesthattheformationofpublicopinionisdirectlyrelatedtotheopinionclimatecreatedbythemassmedia.Afterthetheorywasputforward,itplayedanindelibleroleinthedevelopmentandextensionofthetheoryofcommunication.Thedevelopmentofonlinevirtualcommunityprovidesthepublicwithaninteractiveplatformformutualcommunicationandparticipation.Netizenscanfreelyexpresstheiropinionsontheseplatforms.Theyhavethecouragetoexpresstheirviewsratherthanstayingsilentorconverging.Withthedevelopmentofthecommunicationprocessandthedeepeningofmutualexchanges,morepeopleturntoacknowledgeandaccepttheviewsheldby“theminority”,andeventuallytheiropinionsevensurpassthemainstreamopinions,whichreversedthe“SpiralofSilence”,andthusthe“Anti-SpiralofSilence”wasputforward.Scholarsbelievethatcyberspaceisafree,equal,andopenplatformforcommunication.Allpeoplecanexpresstheiropinionsanonymously,andmostgroupsofnetizensarenotstable.Therefore,ifnetizensfeeluncomfortableinagroup,theycanescapethemaladjustedenvironmentbyjoiningothergroups.Relativelyspeaking,inthenetwork,thechanceofherdmentalityshouldbeless.Inotherwords,the“SpiralofSilence”isbeingquestioned.(Guo,2011,p.141)TherearetwotypesofviewsinChinaonwhetherthe“SpiralofSilence”iseffectiveunderInternet.ThefirsttypeofopinionisthattheInternethascharacteristicsthattraditionalmediadonothave,butonlinecommunicationisstillundersocialcontrolliketraditionalmedia.Asthecontrolstructureofcommunicationhasnotbeentransferredsubstantially,the“SpiralofSilence”isapplicableontheInternetasbefore.Somescholarsbelievethatthe“SpiralofSilence”willnotdisappearontheInternet,butwillcontinuetotakeeffectinnewforms.(Guo,2011,p.142;Liu,2008,p.143)Thesecondtypeofopinionholdsthatnetworkcommunicationandtraditionalmasscommunicationareessentiallydifferent.ThefearoflonelinessandtheherdmentalityinthenetworkaregraduallydissipatedintheInternetcommunication.Theaudienceisnolongerthesilentaudience.The“SpiralofSilence”hasnoeffectintheInternetenvironment,andhasbeenreplacedbythe“Anti-SpiralofSilence”.WangandWu(2004,p.32)emphasizedtheanonymityofnetworkcommunication,whichmadepeoplethinklessaboutthebindingforceofsocialnormsandtheirownpsychologicalpressure.Thisgivespeoplemorespaceforcommunication,whichisthemissingconditionofthetheoreticalassumptionofthe“SpiralofSilence”.Newtechnologywillimprovetheapplicabilityofcommunicationtheories.Furtheranalysisoftheapplicabilityofthe“SpiralofSilence”underInternetconditionscanbetterguidethepracticeofnewscommunication.Duetothecomplexityofnetworkcommunicationandthediversityofcommunicationspaceandchannels,thestudyofthe“SpiralofSilence”mustbeplacedinaspecificcontext.Therefore,thispaperwillexplorethechallengesandthenecessityofexistenceofthe“SpiralofSilence”inthecurrentcommunicationfromcurrentnewseventsandthedevelopmentofnetworkcommunication,andproposestrategiestocreateabetternetworkcommunicationbasedonit.Thisresearchismainlydividedintofourparts:Thefirstchapterisabriefdescriptionofthetheoreticaldevelopmentofthe“SpiralofSilence”.Thesecondchapteristheconditionsfortheexistenceof“theSpiralofSilence”ofnetworkcommunication.Thethirdchapterdiscussesthechallengesof“theSpiralofSilence”underthebackgroundofnetworkcommunicationThefourthchapterrelatesandanalyzestherelationshipbetweenthe“SpiralofSilence”theoryandnetizens.Thefifthchapterputsforwardthreestrategiesinordertocreateahealthynetworkcommunicationenvironmentundertheguidanceofthe“SpiralofSilence”.1TheContentof“theSpiralofSilence”Thecoreof“theSpiralofSilence”istheinteractionbetweenthefiveelements–massmedia,interpersonalcommunication,socialrelations,expressionofpersonalopinion,andtheindividualperceptionofopinionclimateinhisownsocialenvironment.Themainhypothesesofthe“SpiralofSilence”areasfollows:(1)Societyusesthefearofisolationtodealwithindividuals.(2)Individualsalwaysfeelthethreatofthefearofisolation.(3)Thefearofisolationcausesindividualstoconstantlyestimatewhatsociallyacceptableviewsare.(4)Individualsusingstandardstatisticsfeelthattheycanestimatetheclimateofopinion.(5)Theresultoftheestimationaffectsindividualbehaviorsinpublicplaces,especiallymanifestedaswhethertopubliclyexpresstheirviewsorremainsilent.Specifically,the“SpiralofSilence”describestheprocessinwhichopinionsbecomedominantopinions.Whenpeoplefeelthattheiropinionsbelongtothe“majority”,theytendtoexpresstheiropinionsboldlyandpositively;whentheyfindthattheiropinionsbelongtothe“minority”,theymaykeepsilenttoavoidisolation.Thesilenceofonesidecausesanincreaseintheopinionsoftheotherside.Inthiscycle,thevoiceofonesideisgettinglouderandthatoftheotherisbecomingmoresilent.(Noelle-Neumann,1984,p.85)Fromtheperspectiveofsocialpsychology,publicopinionispeople’s“socialskin”,whichmeansthatpeopleuseittoperceivethechangesintheenvironmentofpublicopinionandthenadjustthemselvestothesocialenvironment.Thiskindof“publicopinion”hassignificanteffectsonmaintainingsocialintegration,whichcanpreventthedisintegrationofsocietyduetotheexcessivedivisionofopinions.Opinionenvironment,thecoreconceptofthetheory,isactuallycreatedbymasscommunication.Opinionenvironmentsuggestedbythemediaisnotcompletelyconsistentwiththeobjectiveopinionenvironment.Therefore,eventheopinionsoftheminoritymaybemistakenastheopinionsofthemajorityintheprocessofmasscommunication,thuscausinga“SpiralofSilence”ofoppositeopinions,whichhasledtoachainofreactionsinsupportoftheformeropinionsinjudgmentandaction.(Noelle-Neumann,1984,pp.90-91)2ConditionsfortheExistenceof“theSpiralofSilence”inNetworkCommunication2.1CommentMechanismofSocialNetwork:ConstructionofOpinionAtmosphereThecommentmechanismofsocialnetworkisthatthepubliccanstateclearlytheirstandtoothersonline.Thereareusuallythreeformsofexpression.First,peoplecangivealikeandcommentonthepointstheylikeinthecommentsection.Inthecurrentsocialmedia,commentswiththemostlikesareoftenplacedatthetopofthecommentarea.Inthisway,userswhoseethenewswillseethecommentswiththemostlikesfirst.Inotherwords,thisprovesthatwhenonereadsanews,hewillfirstbeexposedtoopinionssupportedbythemajority.Inthiscase,theminority’sopinionstendtobehardtofind.Duetotheawarenessofself-protection,userswhobelongtothe“minority”oftenchoosetokeeptheirownopinionssilent.Eveniftheychoosetoexpresstheirownopinionsaftersufferingfromstrongpsychologicalpressure,theiropinionswilloftenbeplacedinthepositionwhereusersarenoteasytofindbecauseofthecommentmechanism,andhenceitisdifficulttofindresonance.Second,peoplecanreposttheopinionstheylike.Theconvenienceofnetworkcommunicationbringsitintotheeraofinformationexplosion.Inthefaceofcomplicatedinformation,duetothelimitedenergyoftheaudience,theyaremorelikelytoonlyreadinformationtheyneedandtheinformationthathasbeenheatedlydebatedbyothers.Inthiscase,thespontaneousforwardingbehavioroftheaudienceaggravatesthehotdiscussiononthenews,thatistosay,toacertainextent,itartificiallycontrolsthereportingscaleofthenews.Thecontrolofreportingscaleistomagnifyorweakentheimportanceandinfluenceofsomenewseventsbycontrollingtheamountandorderofreports.Thiseffectissimilartothefunctionofsettingtheonlineagenda,whichisthattheopinionleadersofnewmediacommunicationsusecertainarrangementstoadjusttheimpactofnewswhenpublishinganddisseminatinginformation.Whenbuildinganewsframework,theywillconstructthemeaningofnewseventsthroughacertainsystemofsymbols,andultimatelyaffecttheaudience’sunderstandingandresponsetonewsevents.Third,peoplecancommentonandreporttheopinionstheydisagreewith.However,thismethodhaslittleeffectonnetworktransmission,becausefirstly,duetotheinfluenceofthenetworkopinionatmosphere,newopinionsareoftendifficulttobecomemainstreamopinions,anditiseveneasytobecounteredbymainstreampublicopinion.Secondly,duetothetediousstepsofthereportingmechanisminonlinecommunication,themajorityofnetizensarereluctanttoreporttheopinionstheydisagreewith.Thirdly,becausethehandlingorganizationofthereportingmechanismistheplatformofthenetworkmedia,theplatformhastopayforthecorrespondingoperatingcosts;however,asacompany,pursuingprofitmaximizationisitsfundamentalpurpose.Inordertoreduceoperatingcosts,thenumberofpersonnelinthereportingsystemislimited,whichleadstotheirinabilitytohandlethereportsontime.2.2InteractivityofSocialCommunication:IllusionofSpeakingFreelyThebiggestdifferencebetweentraditionalmediaandnetworkcommunicationhasrealizedatwo-wayinformationtransmissionmodesimilartointerpersonalcommunication,thatis,aninteractivemode,whichisachangetothetraditionalcommunicationmethod.AccordingtoPeng(2012,p.6),theInternetisatwo-way,multi-directionalcommunicationmedium.Comparedwithmassmedia,oneoftheadvantagesofnetworkmediaisitsinteractivity.Intheprocessofsocialcommunication,usershaveanunprecedenteddegreeofparticipation.Theycanbebothreceiversandsendersofinformation.Inthisway,themediaandusershaveformedafulltwo-waycommunication.Accordingtothetheoryofcommunication,anycommunicationbehaviors,especiallythoseofmasscommunication,shouldbetwo-way.Itispossibletoobtaintheidealcommunicationeffectonlybyobtaininguserfeedbackintime.Becauseoftherestrictionsofeconomicandtechnologicalconditions,transmissionmodeofthemassmediaisbasicallyone-way,andusersareobviouslyinastateofpassiveacceptance,whiletheinteractionofthenetworkmakestheprocessofdisseminationofnewmediaaclosedloop,whichwillhelpthemediatobeconvenientandcollectuser’sfeedbackatalowcostsoastoimprovetheeffectofcommunication.But,duetotheinteractionofsocialcommunication,thequalityofinformationonthenetworkplatformisuneven,anditisdifficulttodistinguishtherealandthefake,whichleadstothedeclineofauthorityandcredibilityofonlineinformation.Inthisregard,somepeopleholdan“indifferent”attitudeandremainsilentduringtheprocessofcommunication.Itispreciselybecauseofthesepeople’sspontaneoussilenceinthenetworkthatnetworkpublicopinionisconstantlybeingguidedbyopinionleaders.Inotherwords,userswhodonotknowmuchaboutnetworkcommunicationareeasilyconfusedbytheillusionofspeakingfreely.2.3SimilarityofSocialCommunicationContent:ControlofMainstreamOpinionsAccordingtothecharacteristicsoftoday’snetworkcommunication,whenapieceofnewsisfirstreportedbyamediaagency,manyothermediainstitutionsorself-mediauserswouldreportitaswell;however,duetotheeffectofthetimelinessofnews,thecontentofmassmediareportswillshowahighdegreeofsimilarity,thatis,theaudiencewillreceiverepeatedreportsfromvariouspartiesonaneventwithinashortperiodoftime.Therepetitionofacertainreportwillresonatewiththeaudienceovertime.Finally,theopinionsofthereportbecometheaudience’sopinions.Accordingtothepointofviewofgrouppsychology,constantrepetitionwillstrengthenthestatedpointofvieworidea,makeitdeepintothemindsofindividualmembers,andbeacceptedunwittingly,thusconvincingthem.Thisisbecausetherepeatedprocessreplacesthelinkofindividualmembers’thinkingorreasoning.Whentheyaccepttheseviewscontinuously,theythinkthattheyareconfirmingwhattheywanttoconfirm,andtheyaccepttheseviewsasverifiedfacts.(Chen,2014,p.1)Furthermore,thewidespreadofthemassmediahasdeepenedthelevelofguidanceofthe“mainstreamopinions”ontheaudience.ThedevelopmentoftheInternetenablesmany-to-manynetworktransmission,thatistosay,thetransmissionmodepresentsanetworkstructure,whichisquitedifferentfromthechain-directiontransmissionmode.(Peng,2012,p.87)Inthechain-orientedcommunication,itisdifficulttoformanatmosphereofmainstreamopinions,becauselosswilloccurduringthetransmission.Inaddition,duetothegeographicalrestrictions,therangeofpeopleaffectedbyopinionsisrelativelyconcentrated,anditisnoteasytoformthephenomenonofpublicopinion.However,inthenetworkcommunicationmechanismofmassmedia,informationcanbespreadtoallcornersoftheworldinarelativelyshorttimeandatalowcost.Throughthiskindofpoint-to-multipointradiation,thedegreeoflosshasdecreased.(Peng,2012,p.88)Toputitdifferently,theinfluenceof“mainstreamopinion”hasbeenincreased.Obviously,thepublicopinioncreatedinthissocialcommunicationenvironmentsilentlyaffectstheopinionsoftheaudienceparticipatinginthediscussion,whiletheaudienceisnotawareofit.3Challengesof“theSpiralofSilence”intheContextofNetworkCommunication3.1TheContentof“theAnti-SpiralofSilence”“TheAnti-SpiralofSilence”meansthatinthenewmediacommunicationenvironmentsuchastheInternetandmobilephones,thepublicareactive,andcananalyzeandthink,andwillnotblindlyfollowthetrend.Theydonotkeepthemselvessilentinordertoavoidisolation.Instead,theyusuallybreakthesilence.Fragmentationandequalityinthecontextofnewmediahavereducedtheaudience’sconformity.Theexpressionoffragmentedinformationusuallydoesnothavethecompletenessofthecontentandmeaning,andthefullpictureoftheeventmaygraduallyappearindifferentchannelsandstages.Therefore,thecontinuousinvolvementofnewshasbrokenthecompletestructureoftheinformation,anditisdifficultfortheaudiencetofullygraspandunderstandthetruthandthefullpictureoftheeventinashorttime.Hence,theprobabilityofherdbehaviorontheInternetisdecreasing.Thecheckpointsinnewmediahavebecomemore“hidden”and“weakened”,andtheaudiencehavebecomeproducersandconsumersofinformation.Theycanexpresstheiropinionsastheywish;thevirtualityandanonymityofthenewmediaeffectivelyreducetheirfearoflonelinessandotherconditions,whichbecometheinducementof“Anti-SpiralofSilence”.(Wang,2018,p.2)Theemergenceofthe“Anti-SpiralofSilence”challengesthe“SpiralofSilence”innetworkcommunication.TheemergenceofnetworkcommunicationhasmadeitpossibleforothermodesofcommunicationtousetheInternetasaplatformtohaveamoreprofoundeffectonawideraudience,andtheinfluenceofmassmediaonpublicopinionhasbeenweakenedtoacertainextent.Inaddition,theInterneteraisconsideredtobeaneraofrespectfortheindividual,anditrecognizesmoretheexpressionofpersonalopinionsandthedevelopmentofpersonality.Therefore,thetraditionalherdmentalitymayberelativelyweak.(Guo,2011,p.167)In2016,Brexitreferendumhadbecomethefocusofworldwideattention.At7a.m.onJune23localtime,pollingstationsin382constituenciesacrosstheUKwereopentovoters,andareferendumwasheldonwhetherBritainwouldleavetheEU.Therewasonlyonequestionontheballot:ShouldtheUnitedKingdomremainamemberoftheEuropeanUnionorleavetheEuropeanUnion?AccordingtothedatapublishedbytheBBC’sBrexittopic,atotalof46,501,241peopleparticipatedinthereferendum,andtheendresultwasthattheBrexitistsdefeatedtheOptimawithavoterateof51.89%(17,410,742votes)overthe48.11%(16,141,241votes).Multiplepollsdemonstratedthetendencycontrarytothe“SpiralofSilence”beforethereferendum.Asaweakparty,BrexitistsweresuppressedbytheOptimaforalongtime;however,aweekbeforethereferendum,itsurpassedtheOptimainthepollsandfinallywonthereferendum.AccordingtotheresearchofCui(2018,p.40),inthisBrexitreferendum,individualswerenolongermakingachoicewiththeflowbuttochoosethemostbeneficialoptionbasedontheirjudgmentandanalysis.Inaddition,theidentityofindividualstothepartyplaysanimportantrolethatcannotbeignored,andindividualswereinfluencedbypoliticians,whichchangedthetrendofthepolls.Fromtheaboveconclusions,inthe“Brexit”,an“Anti-SpiralofSilence”appeared.3.2ChallengesfromNetizensinNetworkCommunication3.2.1TheWeakeningInfluenceofMainstreamOpinionsbytheDiversityofCommunicationSubjectsWiththedevelopmentofInternet,informationcanbesharedglobally.Becausenetworktransmissionhasthecharacteristicsofconvenience,itcanrealizetimelytransmissionandrollingtransmissionofinformationandenablepeopletobrowsenewsatthefirsttime.Innetworkcommunication,mostnetizenshavemoreautonomyinchoosinginformationandinteractivelyusingthenetworkplatformsforinstantcommunication.Inotherwords,netizenscandirectlyparticipateinthecommunicationprocess.Inmanycases,afterreadingtheinformationtheyareinterestedin,netizenswillcommentonthosethatfittheirsocialrole,andtheircommentsarepresentedontheInternet,whichformsanewroundofinformationdissemination.ThiskindofenhancedinteractionbetweenInternetportalsandnetizenshasmadethosewhoholdaminorityopinionnolongerchoosetobesilentintheprocessofcommunication,butbravelyexpresstheirviewscontrarytomainstreamopinions,greatlyweakeningtheeffectsofthe“SpiralofSilence”.Opinionleadersinthenetworkcommunicationhavethemaincharacteristicsofdiverseidentities,personalizedopinions,equalrelationships,andgrassrootssources.Consequently,usergeneratedcontent(UGC)appeared.UndertheUGCmodel,netizensarenotonlytheaudience,butalsotheproducersandprovidersofInternetcontent.Inaddition,UGCcomprisesunfilteredindividualopinions,becauseitneednotcomplywithcommonjournalisticnorms,forexample,objectivity.(Porten-Cheé&Eilders,2015,p.3)Inthiscase,the“hardcore”inthegroupcanhaveapowerfulinfluenceonthe“majority”andcanevenchangethegroup.Thisisadifferentformofpublicopinionformationfromthe“SpiralofSilence”,thatis,apublicopinionmechanismthatevolvesfromminorityopinionstomajorityopinions.3.2.2TheReducedGroupPressurebyUserAnonymityInreallife,interpersonalinteractionsareoftenaffectedbyvarioussituationalcluesfromthesociety,includingpositions,expressions,andactions,becauseinordertomaintainagoodimageoftheindividual,hewillavoidexpressinghistruethoughtsasmuchaspossibleandchoosetoechothemainstreamopinions.However,intermsofnetworkcommunication,thiskindofpressurefromthegroupisreduced.(Peng,2012,p.90)BecauseofuseranonymityontheInternet,networkcommunicationcannotcarrysocialclues,socialcontrolsandnormswilldecrease,hencemakingnetizensequalonline.BecauseoftheanonymityoftheInternet,netizenshavetheanonymouspsychologyinnetworkcommunication.Anonymouspsychologyreferstothefactthatinastateofanonymitywithoutsocialbinding,peoplemaylosetheirsenseofsocialresponsibilityandself-control.Incyberspace,theinfluenceofsocialfactorsorpersonalemotionsontheexpressionofpersonalopinionsinreallifeisdecreasing.Simultaneously,thisalsoreducesgrouppressureonindividualstoacertainextent.(Xia&Peng,2006,p.2)Onlinediscussionstendtoplacemoreemphasisontheequalparticipationandfreedomthanface-to-facecommunicationdoes.Cyberspacehasreduced“socialcontextualcues”frombothtangibleandintangibleenvironments.Individualscanspeakmorefreelyinthisequalenvironmentwithouthavingtocareaboutbeingexcludedandisolatedbythecollective.Therefore,innetworkcommunication,individualsareinclinedtoexpresstheirowntrueopinionsandpositions.Inaddition,duetouseranonymity,netizens’relationshipsareoftenrandomandunstable.Individualsarenothighlydependentonnetworkcommunity.Ifpeoplefindthattheydisagreewithothersinanetworkcommunity,andcausecognitivedissonance,theeasiestwayistoescapetheenvironmentthatmakeshimuncomfortablebychangingthenetworkcommunity.Basedontheabove-mentionedphenomenon,thisgraduallyweakensthesituationof“notexpressingone’sdisagreementbecauseofthefearofbeingisolated,”asproposedby“theSpiralofSilence”.Inotherwords,itislesslikelythat“theSpiralofSilence”willplayaroleinnetworktransmission.

4ProblemsCausedby“theSpiralofSilence”inNetworkCommunication4.1HerdMentality:FearofSocialIsolationUnderthe“SpiralofSilence”,herdmentalityinfluencespeople’sdecisions.Herdmentalityreferstoaphenomenonthatindividualsareaffectedbythegroup,theywilldoubtandchangetheirviewsandbehaviors,andchangeinadirectionconsistentwiththemajorityofthegroup.(Deutsch&Gerard,1955,p.177)Therearemanysituationalfactorsthatinfluenceherdbehaviorandtheycanbeapproximatelydividedintotwoaspects.Thefirstoneisgroupsize,thatis,amongdifferentopinionsofthegroup,thosesupportedbythemajoritywillbecomethemainstreamopinionsandplayaleadingroleinthedevelopmentofmatters.Thesecondisthecohesionofthegroup.Thestrongerthecohesionofagroup,thehighertheincidenceofherdbehaviors.(Lv,2019,p.1)Althoughtheformationofpublicopinionhasbeenshiftedtothenetwork,characteristicsofcommunityhavenotbeenchanged,becauseinthenetwork,besidesmasscommunication,therearevariousformsoforganizationalcommunication,groupcommunicationandinterpersonalcommunication(Du,2013,p.2).Theseformsoftransmissionareaffectedbytheenvironment,makingtheherdmentalitymoreobvious.Forexample,peoplewillsometimesshowastrongherdmentalityinordertomaintaintheestablishedcommunityrelationsandtheirowninterests,andalsotogainasenseofbelongingtothegroup.Evenifpeopledonotinteractwitheachotherinreallife,theywillshowmoreconsensusandevenshowconsistentactionsatcertaintimes.Inordertostayinthegroupandreducecognitivedissonance,individualshavetoadopttheherdapproach.AccordingtoZhu&Wang&Chen(2014,p.21),herdbehaviorsareapplicabletothespreadofnetworkinformation.Weiboisaplatformofnetworkcommunication.Throughexperimentalinvestigation,th