Authors : Normah Mustaffa, Ali Salman, Wan Amizah Wan Mahmud, Badrul Redzuan Abu Hassan, Shahrul Nazmi Sannusi, Muhammad Adnan Pitchan and Wan Nur Syazmira Wan Suhaimi
Abstract: Social media influence and change the way individuals express their views publicly. Social media users have the opportunity to express and share their opinions openly in social media. This study aims to identify social media use among youth in expressing their opinion on the issue and implementation of the Government Transformation Programme (GTP). Spiral of silence theory is used as a basis to see how minorities express their opinions in a changing media environment. The survey method was used to obtain from 200 youths who use social media actively in two zones in Malaysia where 100 respondents were interviewed in the Eastern zone and another 100 in the central zone. The results showed that the interactive nature of social media has become a new platform for youth to express their views even if their views or opinions are contrary to the majority of their colleagues on social media.
Normah Mustaffa, Ali Salman, Wan Amizah Wan Mahmud, Badrul Redzuan Abu Hassan, Shahrul Nazmi Sannusi, Muhammad Adnan Pitchan and Wan Nur Syazmira Wan Suhaimi, 2018. Social Media and the Expression of Opinion: Implication on the Spiral of Silence. The Social Sciences, 13: 1037-1041.