Agenda-Setting Theory: Media shapes what people think about, even if it doesn’t necessarily dictate what they think.
Selective Exposure Theory: People actively seek out information that confirms their existing beliefs and avoid information that challenges them.
Key Difference: Agenda-setting focuses on the media’s power to prioritize issues, while selective exposure focuses on the audience’s choices in consuming information.
Media in Agenda-Setting Theory
Agenda-setting theory views media as a gatekeeper, selecting and emphasizing certain issues over others. This prominence shapes public perception of what’s important.
Media Effects in Agenda-Setting Theory
The theory proposes a limited effect. Media doesn’t tell people what to think, but it tells them what to think about. By prioritizing issues, media influences public opinion indirectly.
Original Constructs and Proposition
- Public Agenda: The issues the public considers important.
- Media Agenda: The issues media prioritizes in their coverage.
Proposition: The media agenda influences the public agenda. Media salience (importance given to an issue) corresponds to public salience (importance perceived by the public).
Foundational Assumptions
- Limited Attention: People have limited time and attention for information. Media plays a role in what captures their attention.
- Competition for Attention: Media outlets compete for audience, and newsworthiness becomes a selection criterion. Editors prioritize issues they believe will resonate with the public.
First-Level vs. Second-Level Agenda-Setting
- First-Level: Focuses on the importance of issues (e.g., crime vs. education).
- Second-Level (Attribute Agenda-Setting): Examines how media frames the attributes of those issues (e.g., portraying crime as a local or national issue).
Internet’s Influence
The internet offers a wider range of information sources, potentially weakening the agenda-setting power of traditional media. However, algorithms and social media echo chambers can create new forms of agenda-setting.
Empirical Support
Studies have shown correlations between media coverage and public concern for specific issues. For example, increased media focus on crime can lead to a heightened public perception of crime rates.
Similarities and Differences with Framing Theory
Similarities: Both focus on how media presentation shapes public perception.
Differences: Agenda-setting focuses on issue importance, while framing theory focuses on how specific aspects of an issue are presented (e.g., crime as a social issue vs. a personal safety issue).
Media, Public, and Policy Agenda
- Media Agenda: Sets the initial priorities for public and policy consideration.
- Public Agenda: Reflects public concern about issues raised by the media.
- Policy Agenda: Issues addressed by policymakers, often influenced by both media and public agendas.
This is a complex relationship with feedback loops. Public pressure can influence media coverage, which in turn shapes public opinion further. Effective policymaking considers all three agendas.
