aldous dela pena,
“Trans people just seek attention.”
“White washing isn’t even a real thing.”
“I don’t care what you think.”
These are the kinds of comments, usually characterized by their innate sense of aggression and one-sidedness, that uneducated opinion makers create. Statements like these are merely based on their personal beliefs and baseless stands on the topic at hand. They try to get their points across however they can, just for the sake of it, lacking facts and evidence to back up their claim.
Most people think that an opinion is the same as a rant or a tirade. People on the internet not only state their feelings without sufficient evidence, but they do so in an extremely violent manner. Sometimes it even comes to the point that rebuttals are only given to attack the opposition’s image, an ad hominem, as they say. There can be no better representation of these instances than those you will see in the comments sections of social media sites, especially Facebook. You may try to see for yourself, but be warned: you may feel their obtuseness tug at your very being.
This is why this article exists. This is to teach our fellow students how to properly state their opinion, with the help of mass communication theories.
To properly start your opinion, you must first address the situation. This creates the foundation that serves as the borders of the argument. This is to make the issue clear to everyone and to prevent further arguments from straying too far from the situation. One mass communication theory that goes well with this is the Priming and Framing Theory. Priming is stating the current situation to emphasize its significance to the audience, and Framing is taking a specific perspective on that situation that is most relevant to the stand you will make.
The next step is to state your stand on the issue or situation. You first gather facts and research about the stand that you want to make and verify it. Then, you state your stand, backed up by the evidence and research that you found. It’s that easy! Most people forget about the research part and think that making an opinion is only about stating what you feel about the matter at hand. And they’re horrifyingly wrong. To blindly state information that has no real basis is just like spreading fake news or gossip which helps no one, not even you and your opinion.
However, taking a stand is the step that some are afraid to properly make and can be explained through a mass communication theory: the Spiral of Silence Theory. The Spiral of Silence states that people are afraid of being isolated when they take a certain stand, especially when it is an unpopular opinion. They tend to stay silent about their thoughts, further supporting the stance of the majority and choosing to ride the bandwagon. Because of this, there may come a time when a person’s purpose is no longer to properly take a stand, but to try to wipe out the opposition.
We shouldn’t be afraid to speak out, as long as the claims are supported with sufficient evidence, because your opinion can affect the views of many. According to the Hypodermic Needle Theory, what the audience sees through the media has an immediate effect, and with the constant development of technology, one’s dependence on media only becomes greater. With this, we should become aware of what we are saying and how we say it.
In the Two-Step Flow of Communication Theory, there are opinion leaders who give their own interpretations to a situation and then share these interpretations to the opinion followers. If this is correct, then we should try to become opinion leaders whose opinions are based on facts and evidences and not gossip and unfounded accusations. We should educate everyone on how an opinion is properly made so that those who are close to us, those we interact with in school, and later, the whole country may know how to properly state their opinion on issues that are important for the welfare of the nation and us, its citizens.
Now go out there and share your knowledge with the world. Become an honest and respectable opinion leader, because it seems like the world needs more people like that. //by Raymund Creencia, Aldous dela Pena, Rad Pascual
Opinion: How to Make Your Own Opinion
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| Photo Credit: Jem Torrecampo |
“Trans people just seek attention.”
“White washing isn’t even a real thing.”
“I don’t care what you think.”
These are the kinds of comments, usually characterized by their innate sense of aggression and one-sidedness, that uneducated opinion makers create. Statements like these are merely based on their personal beliefs and baseless stands on the topic at hand. They try to get their points across however they can, just for the sake of it, lacking facts and evidence to back up their claim.
Most people think that an opinion is the same as a rant or a tirade. People on the internet not only state their feelings without sufficient evidence, but they do so in an extremely violent manner. Sometimes it even comes to the point that rebuttals are only given to attack the opposition’s image, an ad hominem, as they say. There can be no better representation of these instances than those you will see in the comments sections of social media sites, especially Facebook. You may try to see for yourself, but be warned: you may feel their obtuseness tug at your very being.
This is why this article exists. This is to teach our fellow students how to properly state their opinion, with the help of mass communication theories.
To properly start your opinion, you must first address the situation. This creates the foundation that serves as the borders of the argument. This is to make the issue clear to everyone and to prevent further arguments from straying too far from the situation. One mass communication theory that goes well with this is the Priming and Framing Theory. Priming is stating the current situation to emphasize its significance to the audience, and Framing is taking a specific perspective on that situation that is most relevant to the stand you will make.
The next step is to state your stand on the issue or situation. You first gather facts and research about the stand that you want to make and verify it. Then, you state your stand, backed up by the evidence and research that you found. It’s that easy! Most people forget about the research part and think that making an opinion is only about stating what you feel about the matter at hand. And they’re horrifyingly wrong. To blindly state information that has no real basis is just like spreading fake news or gossip which helps no one, not even you and your opinion.
However, taking a stand is the step that some are afraid to properly make and can be explained through a mass communication theory: the Spiral of Silence Theory. The Spiral of Silence states that people are afraid of being isolated when they take a certain stand, especially when it is an unpopular opinion. They tend to stay silent about their thoughts, further supporting the stance of the majority and choosing to ride the bandwagon. Because of this, there may come a time when a person’s purpose is no longer to properly take a stand, but to try to wipe out the opposition.
We shouldn’t be afraid to speak out, as long as the claims are supported with sufficient evidence, because your opinion can affect the views of many. According to the Hypodermic Needle Theory, what the audience sees through the media has an immediate effect, and with the constant development of technology, one’s dependence on media only becomes greater. With this, we should become aware of what we are saying and how we say it.
In the Two-Step Flow of Communication Theory, there are opinion leaders who give their own interpretations to a situation and then share these interpretations to the opinion followers. If this is correct, then we should try to become opinion leaders whose opinions are based on facts and evidences and not gossip and unfounded accusations. We should educate everyone on how an opinion is properly made so that those who are close to us, those we interact with in school, and later, the whole country may know how to properly state their opinion on issues that are important for the welfare of the nation and us, its citizens.
Now go out there and share your knowledge with the world. Become an honest and respectable opinion leader, because it seems like the world needs more people like that. //by Raymund Creencia, Aldous dela Pena, Rad Pascual
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