Public Opinion: It’s a Social Thing

If you are one of those who likes to think society is just a collection of individuals, well, think again. There’s a nice piece in today’s Independent by Terence Blacker following on from yesterday’s furore about the Home Secretary.

Blacker makes the point that the expression and tone of public opinion is very much a social phenomenon and nicely links the public and the private.

That interrelationship between public and private is what sociology is all about, so I fully recommend reading Blacker’s article. As Blacker argues, public opinion can be shaped by various social forces and factors, and it’s effects are social; not just confined to the odd individual or two. So when you read about something like the current criticisms of the Home Secretary, it’s important to remember that it’s not just a few individuals who are criticising her. Key individuals are involved (journalists, other politicians), but they represent, reflect, and in turn, shape the views of the wider society.

You can get a bit more out of Blacker’s insights by applying them to work you will have done on media effects and its also useful to relate to the concept of moral panic which comes up in crime and deviance as well as media.