THE SPIRAL OF SILENCE IN A DIGITAL AGE: INVESTIGATING THE INFLUENCE OF SOCIAL MEDIA ON POLITICAL EXPRESSIONS AMONG YOUTH IN WUKARI TARABA STATE

Abstract

Abstract

This study examines the applicability of Elisabeth Noelle-Neumann’s Spiral of Silence theory in the digital age by investigating how social media influences political expression among youth in Wukari, Taraba State, Nigeria. Drawing on quantitative data from 400 respondents aged 18–35, the research explores the relationship between political news consumption, willingness to express dissenting opinions, and the perceived risks associated with online and offline environments. Findings reveal a significant “expression gap” — while 90% of respondents actively consume political news, only 35% frequently express opinions publicly. Fear of offline repercussions (β = –0.42, p < .001) and perceptions of holding a minority opinion (β = –0.38, p < .001) emerged as the strongest suppressors of online political expression. The study highlights how technological affordances of platforms shape users’ communicative behaviour: while public spaces like Facebook amplify self-censorship through real-identity exposure, private and encrypted environments like WhatsApp enable freer expression among trusted peers. The research concludes that social media both reinforces and fragments the spiral of silence, producing multiple, overlapping “micro-spirals” across different digital publics shaped by ethnic identity, perceived safety, and technological design. It underscores that online political expression in Wukari is a strategic act of navigating between visibility and vulnerability, suggesting that fear of real-world consequences remains the most powerful driver of digital silence in multi-ethnic contexts.

Keywords:
Spiral of Silence, Social Media, Political Expression, Youth, Wukari