mote: um resumo de trabalho de Liu e Fahmy

Exploring the spiral of silence in the virtual world: lndividuals' willingness to express personal opinions in online versus offline settings Fonte: Journal of Media and Communication Studies Xudong Liu1 and Shahira Fahmy2* 1School of Journalism, College of Mass Communication and Media Arts, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL, 62901, United States. 2School of Journalism, Department of Near Eastern Studies, College of Social and Behavioral Sciences, the University of Arizona, 845 N. Park Avenue, Marshall Building 325, P.O. Box 210158B, Tucson, AZ 85721-0158, United States. *Corresponding author. E-mail: sfahmy@E-mail.arizona.edu. Accepted 30 December, 2010

Abstract

This study extends the understanding of the spiral of silence theory by taking into account the impact of new media on virtual behavior motivation. It explores individuals' willingness to express opinions online and offline and tests how the constructs proposed by the spiral of silence theory work in each setting. Results of a survey (N=503) suggests that when the likelihood of speaking out online increases, the likelihood of speaking out in a real setting also increases, and vice versa. Findings further suggest that the congruency of current opinions with one's own opinions predicts the willingness to speak out offline. Congruency of future opinions, however, failed to predict the likelihood of speaking out offline. Findings also indicated that congruency of future and current opinions did not predict the willingness to speak out in the online setting. Furthermore, while experiencing fear of isolation predicted by the willingness to speak out online, it did not affect offline outspokenness. Key words: Spiral of silence, opinion-climate online, online environment. Texto completo disponível em Journal of Media and Communication Studies Vol. 3(2), pp. 45-57, February 2011 ISSN 2141-2545 ©2011 Academic Journals