The Spiral of Silence and Cialdini's Principles

The Spiral of Silence, which is idea that people withhold expressing their ideals if they think that the people close to them such as their family and friends have different views on those ideals, from is an interesting phenomenon that somewhat resembles some of Dr. Robert Cialdini's principles of persuasion.

James Vincent's article The 'Spiral of Silence': How social media encourages self-censorship online focuses on the idea that individuals suppress their thoughts within their social media accounts due to the spiral of silence. While reading, this phenomenon reminded me of social proof because the social media user was relying on what others say in order to decided whether or not they wanted to share their beliefs online. In regards to social proof, they were looking to other to see what the correct response was from whatever the majority of either the public was or the majority of the people close to them.

Commitment and consistency also came into mind because social media provides both a temporary and permanent platform to store information and the posts we make for others to see. I believe that in this day and age, most social media users are aware of the fact that once something goes onto the internet, it is there forever, even after it is deleted. Because of this long-lasting effect that posts have, social media users are aware that if the commit to a "side" or an idea, they are expected to show consistency and "defend" their beliefs. Going back to the spiral of silence, if users are more inclined to share their ideas when others share the same belief, then it is more likely for a user to be consistent with their stance on an issue/idea if their surrounding network of people believe the same thing.