Abstract
Abstract This study compares the expression of opinion in incongruent offline and online settings regarding the issue of gender desegregation in Kuwait’s public schools. Spiral of silence theory provides the theoretical foundation for examining the impact of certain cultural factors and religious influences on the expression of opinion, their relationship to the fundamental tenets of the theory, such as fear of social isolation, and Twitter use variables among respondents to a survey. The results to a questionnaire administered to 534 public and private university students indicate greater overall expression of opinion in the offline than online context. Offline and online, the nonconformist personality variable was a positive predictor of expression of opinion, and fear of social isolation was a negative predictor. The perceived position of Islam on the issue was a predictor of expression of opinion only in the offline context. Finally, daily average use of Twitter was an additional predictor of expression of opinion in the online environment.
Highlights
Scholars have increasingly examined the impacts of online media on opinion expression in democratic countries (e.g. Rani & Sumathy 2018)
In the second regression, which examined the expression of opinion in an incongruent online context, we followed the same procedures as for the first regression, except that the variable of willingness to express an opinion in an incongruent online context was treated as the dependent variable this time
In non-democratic settings, expression of opinion online might be envisaged as a venue for sharing ideas with the potential for demonstrating more inclusive sociocultural practices
Summary
Scholars have increasingly examined the impacts of online media on opinion expression in democratic countries (e.g. Rani & Sumathy 2018). Scholars have increasingly examined the impacts of online media on opinion expression in democratic countries Much of the literature on the expression of opinion, whether in offline or online contexts, reflects profiles in countries where dominant forms of acculturation could be characterized as a preference for individualistic cultural values Sociocultural norms on individual expression are regulated differently in the Arab region than in more individualistically-oriented societies. Islamic religious restrictions imposed by both the state and society can further limit the expression of minority viewpoints and intensify fear about offering religiously unacceptable opinions (Kamali 1997). Within the context of authoritarianism, restrictions on traditional mass media compound these sociocultural conditions in ways that affect public opinion expression. Many people in many Arab societies risk social isolation when expressing opinions that might deviate from group norms
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