In The Spiral of Silence, Elizabeth Neumann described a phenomenon to us: when people express their thoughts and opinions, they will actively participate if they see that their agreed views are widely welcomed.

This view will be published and spread more boldly, and it will be found that no one or few people pay attention to a certain point of view, and even if they agree, they will remain silent.

First, the definition of online public opinion

What is online public opinion? Modern Chinese Dictionary defines "public opinion" as "public speech". In the authoritative paper "The Concept and Characteristics of Internet Public Opinion", it is said: "Internet public opinion is an influential and tendentious opinion or speech about a certain focus spread by the public on the Internet.

Second, the external environment and ecological analysis

(a) The high degree of autonomy and selectivity provided by the Internet enables us to keep in touch with and strengthen our own views.

On the Internet, the cost of finding a circle of people with the same views is very low, and it is easy for a La black keys to exclude people with different views. In addition, the algorithm-based preference recommendation mechanism on the Internet also allows us to expose our preferences more and get trapped in the information cocoon.

In this way, we constantly contact and strengthen our favorite and recognized views, and we are more convinced of our own views and become stubborn.

(2) In the post-truth era, emotional drive makes online public opinion extreme and makes people single-minded and stubborn.

The so-called "post-truth" means that in the process of information dissemination, truth and logic are ignored and emotional agitation dominates public opinion.

Internet provides a low-cost and convenient communication platform. In the discussion, people try to convince others with their own logic and opinions. In order to achieve this goal, they unconsciously strengthen the rationality of their own views, thus becoming more convinced of their own views and more opposed to each other's views.

In the end, the attitudes of both sides became more intense and extreme. People in the group are strongly influenced by emotional factors, so it is difficult to make rational analysis and reasoning, and they are easily influenced by extreme views.

The "spiral of silence" theory also points out that "if people feel that their opinions are in the minority among the public, they will not be willing to spread their opinions; And if they feel that their views are consistent with most people, they will speak out bravely. " As a result, people's thinking on the internet has become extreme and single.

With the development of the Internet, people express their opinions more conveniently and quickly, and public opinion spreads faster and wider, and this phenomenon will become more and more serious accordingly. However, under the influence or pressure of the group, individuals can't help but choose to give up their opinions or run counter to their own opinions in order to keep their thoughts, speeches and behaviors consistent with public opinion or most people.