How social feedback processing in the brain shapes collective opinion processes in the era of social media

TL;DR

This paper develops a theoretical model based on neuro-scientific insights into social feedback processing, explaining how social media influences collective opinion dynamics and the silence of minority groups.

Contribution

It introduces a social feedback theory model that links neuroscience findings to sociological theories of public opinion and social media influence.

Findings

Majorities can be silenced by cohesive minorities.

The model connects social neuroscience with societal opinion regimes.

Highlights importance of group cohesion in opinion dynamics.

Abstract

What are the mechanisms by which groups with certain opinions gain public voice and force others holding a different view into silence? And how does social media play into this? Drawing on recent neuro-scientific insights into the processing of social feedback, we develop a theoretical model that allows to address these questions. The model captures phenomena described by spiral of silence theory of public opinion, provides a mechanism-based foundation for it, and allows in this way more general insight into how different group structures relate to different regimes of collective opinion expression. Even strong majorities can be forced into silence if a minority acts as a cohesive whole. The proposed framework of social feedback theory (SFT) highlights the need for sociological theorising to understand the societal-level implications of findings in social and cognitive neuroscience.