Opinion expression via user comments on news websites: analysis through the perspective of the spiral of silence

ABSTRACT

User comments have become an essential part of news websites. In this article, we examine this mode of public expression via the theory of the spiral of silence. This is done while adopting alternative measures, with regard to three major issues on the Israeli agenda, and in comparison to expression in public, as in the traditional theory. Based on an Internet survey (n = 712), the present study results support the relevancy of the spiral of silence to the online comment sphere. Perceived support for one’s opinion by the majority was found to have a positive and significant effect on the willingness to express opinion in the online sphere. The explanatory role of fear of isolation was more significant in the online sphere than in face-to-face context.

KEYWORDS:

• Participatory journalism
• user comments
• spiral of silence
• Israel

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributors

Oren Soffer is Head of the Department of Sociology, Political Science, and Communication at the Open University of Israel. His research interests include the study of new media, while using historical analysis and “traditional” media theories to better understand new textual and social phenomena. [email: [email protected]].

Galit Gordoni is a visiting lecturer in the Department of Information Systems at the Academic College of Tel Aviv-Yaffo. She served as the Director of Survey Methodology Sector at the Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics. Her research interests include computer-mediated communication, opinion expression in the big data era and applications of the total survey error paradigm. [email: [email protected]].

Notes

1 Unfortunately, no online survey database enables to reach the Arab population in Israel.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Israel Science Foundation [Grant Number 898/14].