Public opinion and the social imaginary: towards a redefinition of the 'spiral of silence'

Abstract

This article critically examines the 'spiral of silence' theory of public opinion. I examine the claims that humans possess a biological desire for peer acceptance and a fear of peer rejection, and I argue that both these claims have an essentialist connotation. I argue that an individual's 'social self-protection', which allegedly reflects the so-called fear of isolation, is better understood as an institutional reaction sustained by the mass media (which acts as the symbolic re-creator of reality), and by the emotions (which act as devices of social control). In other words, I argue that public opinion is merely a social imaginary, like the emotions or the news, elevated to the category of institution. Finally, I argue that this legitimation has been facilitated by a hegemonic discourse.