Date of Award

2016

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Specialization

Communication and Leadership

School or Department

School of Leadership Studies

First Advisor

Dr. Michael Hazel

Second Advisor

Dr. Josh Misner

Abstract

Communication via social media is important to many young adults. While participation affords benefits, it can lead to acts of online shaming. This study hypothesized that young social media users are concerned that the information they post online could cascade out of control leading to a verbal attack by an anonymous crowd. As a result, users reduce the frequency of posting content to social media after witnessing or experiencing acts of online shaming. Academic attention has not focused on social media participation, or the lack thereof, as a behavioral trait akin to organizational silence. Drawing on Morrison and Milliken’s (2000) model for understanding organizational silence, and Noelle Neumann’s Spiral of Silence Theory (1974), this study collected and coded open-ended survey responses from 321 young adults ages 18 to 24 living in the United States. Results confirmed that witnessing or experiencing acts of online shaming leads to a reduction in social media posting for some users. The findings of this study will help guide future research on the social and psychological costs of social media technology.

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