TY - JOUR
T1 - Opinion expression via user comments on news websites
T2 - analysis through the perspective of the spiral of silence
AU - Soffer, Oren
AU - Gordoni, Galit
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2017 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
PY - 2018/3/4
Y1 - 2018/3/4
N2 - 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.
AB - 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.
KW - Israel
KW - Participatory journalism
KW - spiral of silence
KW - user comments
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85011277262&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/1369118X.2017.1281991
DO - 10.1080/1369118X.2017.1281991
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AN - SCOPUS:85011277262
SN - 1369-118X
VL - 21
SP - 388
EP - 403
JO - Information Communication and Society
JF - Information Communication and Society
IS - 3
ER -