Silencing the voices of discontent
How the new digital communication environment reinforces the spiral of silence in the Yemeni crisis
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 12913401 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Abdullah Bakhash (0000-0003-3393-5980, corresponding author), Jamel Zran (0000-0003-0923-6629, Manouba University), Shahira S Fahmy (0000-0002-7720-9318, American University in Cairo) |
| Year | 2024 |
| Volume | 18 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 239-257 |
| Publication date | 2024-09-12 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Arab & Muslim Media Research (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1751-9411 • E-ISSN: 1751-942X |
| Publisher | Intellect (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1386/jammr_00088_1 |
| OpenAlex | W4402501619 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 18 |
This study examines the impact of the new digital communication environment on the spiral of silence mechanisms in the context of the current Yemeni crisis. The research focuses on three controversial topics related to the crisis: the role of the Arab coalition in Yemen, the legitimacy of President Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi and the call to disengage the Yemeni southern governorates from the unified Yemeni state. The sample for this study consisted of 438 respondents, selected using the snowball sampling method. The findings suggest that despite the changes in communication conditions, the mechanisms of the spiral of silence remain effective in the new digital communication environment. The study found that respondents emphasized their awareness of the severity of controversy, disagreement, hostile reactions from the other side and their fears of the threat of social isolation which affected their desire to express their opinions towards the three political issues. The results demonstrated that the respondents with the highest fear of isolation tended to exclude expressing an opinion in the new communication environment or prefer adhering to neutrality. The results confirmed that what impedes the expression of opinion in conflict environments is not the inability of individuals to access media and publishing platforms but rather the same psychological and social mechanisms of the spiral of silence – as identified by Neumann. The study proposes a new model of the spiral of silence theory that incorporates the transformations of the communication field and the inhibitors of opinion expression on social media
Aesthetics · Art · Biology · Crisis communication · Gene silencing · Media studies · Political science · Public relations · Silence · Sociology · Telecommunications · Computer Science · Global Peace and Security Dynamics · Media Studies and Communication · Middle East and Rwanda Conflicts
Stimulating the Quasi-statistical Organ
Measurement of social-evaluative anxiety.
The “Spiral of Silence” Revisited
The Spiral of Silence and Public Opinion on Affirmative Action
Twenty-Five Years of the Spiral of Silence
The Theory of Public Opinion
Six concepts in search of retirement
Talking About Genetically Modified (GM) Foods in South Korea
Does online incivility cancel out the spiral of silence? A moderated mediation model of willingness to speak out
Willingness to Self-Censor
The Spiral of Silence in the 1948 Presidential Election
Using the "L-Word" in Public
Field research in conflict environments
Societal Majority, Facebook, and the Spiral of Silence in the 2016 US Presidential Election
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |