The Applicability Of ’Theory Of Silent Spiral’ In New Media Context

‘The Theory of Silent Spiral’ put forward by Noel Newman is the classic theoryof communication. The theory is based on the exploration of mass communication,describes the development process of the public opinion, again prompted a strongconcept of mass communication, consist of three key concepts:‘The fear of isolation’,‘the climate of opinion’ and ‘Quasi-statistical sense’.`The fear of isolation’ showsactions that people change because of the isolation from others;’the climate ofopinion’ shows the opinion distribution in the environment we live in includingcurrent opinions and future possible opinions.’The Quasi-statistical Sense’ means thatall can evaluate the power of group who opposes them. The theory to explore therelationship between mass communication and public opinion formation process, is acorrection of the ‘limited effects theory’, has a far-reaching influence oncommunication.A two-way interactive communication mode has broken the one-way masscommunication mode, and set up an effective feedback mechanism by thedevelopment of Internet. The boundaries between communication subject andaudience become blurred, propagation process become more freedom, and anonymityof network communication environment gives the audience more freedom, dispellingthe population pressure in the social life, which makes many communication scholarsthink that the traditional theory of ‘The Theory of Silent Spiral’ already can’t adapt tothe development of network transmission. But the network transmission environmentis a completely free equal public opinion field? Free propagation mechanism canreally promote the healthy development of network communication?‘The theory ofSilent Spiral’ really disappeared in the event of network transmission? Seize the threecenter line, this paper discusses the applicability of the theory of ‘The theory of SilentSpiral’ in the network transmission environment.This paper includes the following several parts: The second chapter introduces the Noel Newman’s theory of ‘the silence spiral’. Asis known to all, discusses the applicability of the theory, the author should deeplyanalyzes the existing theory. This section from two aspects of proposition compositionand theory characteristics, introduces the formation mechanism of public opinion inthe ‘theory of Silent Spiral’. On this basis, combining with the analysis of thedevelopment of the network transmission, put forward the central thesis of this paper:the ‘theory of Silent Spiral’ still active in the network communication environment.Papers of the third chapter reveal the network public opinion formation mechanismby analyzing the network transmission environment, and combined with the originaltheory, reveal the central argument in this paper. It has invisible hand behind thecompletely free network transmission environment. Because of these controlmechanisms, there are similar classifications and population pressure betweenNetwork communication environment and mass media environment. Afraid ofisolated social nature will not change because the network anonymity. The freedom ofnetwork transmission not only gives users more opportunities to participate in thepublic opinion, but also have a negative impact. For example, a large number ofpartial extreme rumors that network dissemination environment imbalances, whichcause serious damage to social stability, in order to ensure the healthy development ofnetwork communication, network transmission environment need to be more effectivecontrol mechanism.In the fourth chapter, it reveals that ‘the spiral of silence’ still active in thenetwork transmission environment by analysis the case Li Tianyi opinion formation.