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TYPE
Original Research
PAGE NO.
11-15
DOI
OPEN ACCESS
SUBMITED
09 March 2025
ACCEPTED
05 April 2025
PUBLISHED
08 May 2025
VOLUME
Vol.05 Issue 05 2025
COPYRIGHT
© 2025 Original content from this work may be used under the terms
of the creative commons attributes 4.0 License.
“Overton Window:”
Theory
Ruxullayevna Durdona Nikadambayeva
Senior Lecturer at Department of Public Relations named after Togon and
Qudrat Ernazarov at Uzbekistan University of Journalism and Mass
Communications, Uzbekistan
Abstract
: This article highlights the importance of the
Overton Window theory in shaping, directing, and
managing public opinion
—
one of the most critical
elements in public relations. The author explores this
theory through case studies related to media and social
issues.
Keywords:
Overton Window, public opinion, social
engineering, media influence, public relations, agenda
setting, opinion management, social perception,
framing theory, mass communication.
Introduction:
Managing public opinion is a strategic
direction in communication, marketing, politics, public
relations, and media that enables influence over public
views, beliefs, and behaviors. The use of this tool is
essential for various reasons
—
beneficial for some and
harmful for others. The question of whether managing
public opinion is necessary has been debated since the
times of famous thinkers like Socrates, Plato, and
Aristotle. Below are examples of some of their
perspectives on the topic.
Francis Bacon, in his work The Advancement of
Learning, emphasized the danger of leaving the human
mind unattended, as it tends to follow harmful thoughts
and ideas.
French philosopher René Descartes, in his work Rules
for the Direction of the Mind, argued that the mind must
be trained to think through a disciplined reasoning
process that governs it. William Graham Sumner, in his
book What Social Classes Owe to Each Other, criticized
educational institutions for producing individuals with
uniform thinking and beliefs, as if they were coming out
of an incubator.
Each of these thinkers presents their own truth based
on their arguments.
As members of the societies we live in, we are
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continuously exposed to efforts to influence our
consciousness through various media resources,
products, their packaging, color schemes, stories, and
even simple actions
—
sometimes overtly, sometimes
subtly. But as participants and consumers of this
influence policy, how aware are we of the process of
our minds being managed? Do we know what methods
are being used in this control? What are we being
made to forget, and what are we being made to
internalize? And how beneficial or dangerous are these
topics being forgotten or internalized? Do we analyze
these processes? Do we monitor them?
This article does not focus on whether managing public
consciousness is necessary, but rather on one specific
method used in this strategy that has already been
widely propagated
—
the Overton Window theory. The
aim is to examine how this theory is applied in society
using real-life examples.
Although the American political analyst Joseph Paul
Overton
frequently
expressed his views in the
media during his lifetime,
these ideas only began to
gain
widespread
recognition
after
his
death. This was due to his
colleague at the Mackinac
Center for Public Policy,
Joseph
Lehman,
who
summarized Overton’s analyses and ideas, dedicating
them to his memory under the name “Overton
Window” theory.
When analyzing the dangers and nuances of this
theory, its primary threat lies in gradually introducing
ideas considered marginal by the public and
systematically transitioning them into the mainstream.
The subtlety of the theory, however, is in convincing
society that these marginal ideas are becoming natural
through the application of this method.
The implementation of the Overton Window theory
consists of several phases: "unthinkable," "radical,"
"acceptable," "sensible," "popular," and "policy."
The
initial
stage,
“unthinkable”,
involves
demonstrating that there are people who support
ideas considered marginal by the public. At this point,
an audience sympathetic to the marginal idea is either
identified or artificially created and gradually
introduced to the public through various media
resources. This helps dissolve the societal taboo
against discussing the issue. Once the public becomes
aware that other perspectives exist, even if they do not
agree, they become slightly more open to hearing
those views. Thus, advocates of the idea achieve part
of their goal.
The transition
from “unthinkable” to “radical” includes
drawing attention to the pressure or persecution faced
by supporters of the marginal idea. This is done to evoke
sympathy and encourage a more tolerant attitude from
the general public. In some cases, even legal warnings
or actions may be taken against those who oppose the
idea too strongly.
In the move from “radical” to “acceptable”, prominent
public figures begin to either support the idea or treat it
as normal. This lends legitimacy to the discourse.
In the “sensible” stage, various scholars enter the scene,
presenting research and arguments in favor of the idea’s
importance and relevance. As a result, the audience
gradually expands, and the idea starts to appear as a
common reality.
When transitioning from “sensible” to “popular”, not
only is it unacceptable to oppose the idea, but even
slight dissent is met with scorn. Those who express
skepticism are portrayed as backward, uneducated, or
problematic. Social pressures isolate them, decreasing
their numbers and influence.
Finally, in the “policy” stage, efforts begin to legalize the
idea. Initially, it might be allowed in exceptional cases.
Then, through media campaigns, public demand is
fabricated for its universal application. Eventually,
universally applicable laws are adopted.
As observed, a well-organized, systematic, and natural-
seeming promotion process can easily reprogram public
consciousness regarding a specific idea.
The duration of this propaganda process varies
depending on the context. For instance, in matters
related to religion or belief systems, the process takes
longer. In contrast, during emergencies like the Covid-
19 pandemic, the window shifts more rapidly
—
as we
have witnessed.
METHODOLOGY
If we examine how Russian scholars have studied this
theory, we find that L.V. Pisaryev, a docent at the Tikhon
Orthodox Humanities University, discussed the Overton
Window's role in the erosion of the English national-
cultural code through G.K. Chesterton’s The Flying Inn.
I.A. Yakoba from Irkutsk National Technical University
analyzed its application to the promotion of same-sex
marriage in the U.S. Prof. A.G. Shilina from the Crimean
Federal University examined sexist imagery in city
advertisements, while A.A. Budanova discussed the
promotion of euthanasia. EY.V. Vasina from N.I.
Lobachevsky Nizhny Novgorod State University focused
on Scottish independence in the UK. Political scientists
S. Volodenkov and S. Fedorchenko from Moscow State
University described it as a manipulative matrix of
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political management. A.A. Grigoryan from the Russian
Presidential Academy emphasized the role of the
media in its implementation. V.A. Sicheva and I.G.
Golushko explored why this theory is interpreted by
some as a myth. R.A. Denisov from Moscow State
University of Management critically analyzed it
through the lens of framing theory. A.V. Nagornaya
and N.A. Butenkova from Surgut State University
studied the subjectivity and non-standard features of
Friedrich Nietzsche’s works through the lens of the
Overton Window theory.
European and American scholars have also produced
valuable works. M. Dustin, N. Ferreira, and S. Millns
from the University of Sussex examined gender
perspectives in Brexit. Ph. Henderson, a doctoral
student at the University of Toronto, explored
resource and fos
sil capital issues in Canada. B.Z. Szałek
from the University of Szczecin discussed propaganda
in politics. A.B. Coles from George Mason University
studied counterterrorism campaigns through the lens
of this theory.O.V. Karpenko analyzed the theoretical
foundations of the theory using inductive and
deductive methods.
DISCUSSION
Although Uzbekistan has laws and policies on freedom
of speech and transparency, public trust in their
impartial implementation remains low. For example,
only a small portion of crimes committed in the
country are disclosed to the public. Observing the
actual situation, people assume that the lack of
censorship would mean full transparency. While this
may seem fair, scholars argue that disclosing all
information could lead to chaos. I
n today’s information
war era, it is vital for both the media and society to
understand the importance of information policy.
Let me illustrate this with an example: an Uzbek
blogger named Jasmin, who underwent gender
transition, faced immense backlash in the early days of
appearing on social media. The public responded with
hate and derogatory comments because no similar
cases had previously been publicized in Uzbek media.
Over time, however, Jasmin’s consistent presence and
personal storytelling changed public perception. Today,
public figures communicate with and support Jasmin
openly, and what was once a marginal identity is now
gradually becoming mainstream. As the number of
supporters grows, dissenters become less vocal.
Now, some questions:
Have you ever seen someone from the Uzbek
community with a gender transition gain such media
popularity before?
Based on the Overton Window theory, at which stage do
you think this case currently stands?
Most importantly, who can guarantee that laws
legalizing gende
r transition won’t be introduced in the
future?
As the Russians say, "Slowly but surely", the promotion
progresses. Why slowly? Despite laws promoting
tolerance, the strong religious values of our people
prevent these foreign ideas from gaining traction. T
hat’s
my personal opinion, of course.
In conclusion, while democracy and openness demand
transparency, exposing society to raw, unchecked
information
—
especially morally alien concepts
—
can
desensitize the public. Gradually, even criminal behavior
could become normalized. Therefore, the quantity of
information is just as critical as its quality or objectivity.
The Russian proverb “Eat an elephant one bite at a time”
perfectly illustrates the Overton Window theory
—
it
introduces marginal ideas in small, digestible pieces
until they are fully accepted.
Finally, let’s examine a propaganda case that did not
follow the Overton model and ended in crisis: in 2022,
during a mass power outage in Uzbekistan, candle prices
soared. Those profiteering off the crisis were branded
traitors. Yet, when companies like Yandex Taxi spike
prices during bad weather, the same public does not
react as harshly. Why the double standard?
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If they had implemented their price increase policy
gradually, like "Yandex Taxi" does, the public might not
have even noticed and would have accepted the
situation as a normal occurrence, just as they did with
"Yandex Taxi".
If you observe closely, you will notice that "Yandex
Taxi" has other subtle policies besides just raising
prices without alarming the public. For instance, one of
the clever tactics they have recently introduced is that
if the "Yandex Taxi" you are riding gets stuck in traffic
before reaching your destination, the time spent in
traffic will be charged additionally to the original fare.
What do you think about that? Why is it that people
remain silent and unquestioning towards such
practices? Believe it or not, there are even individuals
who passionately defend these pocket-picking
strategies of this brand.
If we pay closer attention, we will find many similar
cases in the social, political, economic, and cultural
spheres where illogical policies have been successfully
normalized into public paradigms. The success of such
cases lies in the effective application of the Overton
Window theory.
CONCLUSION
In conclusion, to prevent our national identity, culture,
values, beliefs, firm positions, and worldview from
being manipulated by external forces, it is crucial
—
as
active participants in the information space
—
to
critically analyze all information presented to the
public, whether popularized or not. This analysis must
not only assess the objectivity, quality, prolongation,
and quantity of the information but also scrutinize the
purposes and methods by which it is presented.
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