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On Tuesday morning, October 19, the Media and Communication Department organized a seminar entitled "The Theory of Public Opinion Decline in Times of Crisis", on behalf of the College of Arts and Humanities.
Alongside media faculty and experts, His Excellency, University President, Prof. Faleh bin Rajaallah Al-Solami attended the seminar, which was presented by Shura Council member, and former Media and Communication president, Prof. Ali bin Shuil Al-Qarni, at the Graduate Studies Building in Abha.
The seminar discussed many aspects of this theory, including a visual presentation that defined public opinion and the powers that rule the world according to philosopher John Locke, and the Spiral of Silence Theory according to German researcher, Elizabeth Noelle-Neumann.
A main pillar of the seminar was the concept of public opinion decline in times of crisis, where various conflicting elements collide and cause chaos. Al-Qarni also discussed Chaos Theory and how it leads to crisis, due to structural sensitivity. At the helm of this conflict, lies the media.
Al-Qarni also highlighted the elements of the 'Public Opinion Decline Theory', which are the event, the entities related to the event, the audience, and the media. He also discussed the impact of the media on the public, and how it can raise, lower, or plateau public interest in the issue at hand.
The seminar also discussed the factors that lead to lowered public interest, the nature of media content, and theory testing during the critical phases of crisis through media outlets, including social media. To conclude, Dr. Shuil encouraged fresh Arab and Saudi perspectives and bold voices in media, academia, and research.
The seminar was organized in line with King Khalid University's interest in combating organizational and institutional crises, and to raise media literacy in times of crisis, when media and communication knowledge is detrimental.
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