Lecture 9: Agenda Setting

As a person who watches TV regularly, I never really stop to consider how the news shapes my understanding of the significance of each article. I assume, like many others, that if it is covered in depth, it is of greater importance. This week's lecture covered "Agenda Setting" which is defined as,  

"the process of the mass media presenting certain issues frequently and prominently with the result that large segments of the public come to perceive those issues as more important than others. " (Coleman et al., 2008)

Basically, it is a theory which explores how the news determines "reality" for its viewers.  

Firstly, there are four types of agendas:

• Public Agenda - the issues which the public view as important
• Policy Agenda - topics which decision makers think are significant 
• Corporate Agenda - topics that corporations deem important
• Media Agenda - the topics that the media examines  

It was interesting to learn that the reality is a social construction. Our perception of reality is formed through social processes (like language). This is very true when you think about it. When you  are recounting a factual story, you are providing additional information to another person. This enhances that person's knowledge and thus their conception of "reality". It is the media which controls how reality is mediated in our understanding, giving them the power of "constructing reality". They have the ability to filter and shape reality as well as convey greater importance to a story. 

So, where did this theory come from? Walter Lippman reported that the Mass Media had the ability to create pictures in our minds. He also explained that propaganda is used to influence people by creating images in their minds. 

There are two main types of Agenda Setting Theory: 

1. First Level Agenda Setting Theory - how the media proposes what the public should think about
2. Second Level Agenda Setting Theory - how the media proposes how the media should consider a topic

So, what does it do? It is quite obvious that the media can change the way we think about topics. Agenda Setting can even be used for politics - the way we think about policies or politicians, themselves. 

Although the media does not always change our minds, it does give us something to think about. 

The "Agenda Setting Family" is a list of effects that Agenda Setting can accomplish and in result, influence people.

1. Media Gatekeeping - how the media limits the exposure of certain topics 
2. Media Advocacy - how the media promotes certain issues  
3. Agenda Cutting - how the truth is not fully exposed, thus becoming less important through less exposure
4. Agenda Surfing - how the media focuses on what the individuals are more interested in 
5. The diffusion of News - the "when"/ "where"/"how" of the news being delivered
6. Portrayal of an issue - how the media portrays a topic can affect how the audience views the topic 
7. Media Dependence - if a person relies on the media for news more, he/she will be more vulnerable to agenda setting

I am a Facebook user, like millions of others, and do sometimes use it for news. I have seen how many important events have been conveyed over this website and being reported before the news. I can imagine how false information can spread through Facebook quickly. I think we still need to rely on actual news websites, so we can receive more accurate stories. 

A strength of Agenda Setting Theory is that is can explain why many people find certain issues more important and significant. A weakness of this theory is that is does not influence people who have already made a decision. 

Recently, many channels have created a 24 hour news cycle. Other than TV, the internet sufficiently provides us with breaking news all hours of the day. I find this a very useful tool for me to be informed about the current affairs. We can even use our phones when we travel to read news articles as well! 

So, what's a big topic today?? Climate change is a huge issue today, and so many different types of media have covered so much about it. I know that the media influenced my opinion about Global Warming. With the news reports always covering climate issues, it was impossible to not agree with them. Earlier this year, Guillard set the "Carbon Tax" which shocked the nation. This set the agenda for many newspapers for a great period. I think climate change is a big topic and can still set the agenda in the future as well. 

Sources of Images (in order of Appearance)

• http://asne.org/article_view/articleid/501/agenda-setting.aspx
• http://kateto.net/research/
• http://www.mediatenor.com/smi_AS_approach.php
• http://www.mediatenor.com/smi_AS_approach.php
• http://queaprendemoshoy.com/2011/07/24/la-agenda-setting-o-como-los-medios-manejan-la-informacion/
• http://yostandy10.blogspot.com/