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Essay: In-Depth Evaluation: How Social Media is Setting News Agendas

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  • Published: 22 February 2023*
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An In-Depth Analysis of the Effects of Agenda Setting on Social Media

Celine Davis

University of Central Florida

Abstract

Often defined as the function of ‘telling us what issues are important,’ agenda setting has become a very prevalent practice especially within recent years, primarily due to the ever-growing social media landscape (Mass Media Agenda Setting Theory, 2018). Through agenda setting, curators have the power to influence what we (the public) see, how often we see it, and through which platforms. The question that is then raised is whether the media is telling us which subjects we should think about, or what we should think of those subjects altogether. Although subject matter experts may have differing opinions, the fact of the matter is that the instantaneous nature of social media has transformed the rate at which agenda setting occurs, as well as the mediums through which it occurs.

Introduction

There are a few ways that you can explain exactly what Agenda Setting is. What the public thinks about is implemented by the media. Media coverage not only shapes how we think but also directs what we think. Because of this influence it gives media a powerful tool to influence the way people view the government. Technology advances provide many new ways for influencing the masses. What puts a risk to the media environment is the audience fragmentation and increased selectivity. The use of social media for entertainment and information is the light of this change. There is also audience fragmentation specifically in the political field, which raises concerns about the way that the information might be perceived. Through their social networks, during the broadcast era, the people who preferred to stay away from politics were exposed to political information.

Back in the days during the 60s, media was never occupied by bloggers, Twitter users, and people who use Facebook as it is today. At this point in time anyone can put their input when it comes to the media production process. Most bloggers now have a bigger platform than many media sources, it appears that social media is making a huge breakthrough for people who believe that all people are equal and deserve equal rights and opportunities. Because of that a platform was built for people that can determine important issues for public conversation. Social media platforms like Instagram, Twitter, and Tumblr for example gives you access to information in an interactive environment.

Social media has had a huge impact on traditional mass media, which communication professionals and scholars have tried to understand. The main difference between agenda building and agenda setting is that the main point of agenda setting is how traditional media agenda can influence the way the world perceives the issue salience whereas agenda building refers to topics that become a part of media agenda while others do not.

In a study on the 1968 American Presidential election, Max McCombs and Donald Shaw developed Agenda Setting. As Shaw and McCombs expanded their research, others started on their investigations of agenda setting to issues including history, foreign, advertising, and medical news. Shaw and McCombs mainly focused on information and awareness. They tried observe the relationship between the content of messages in the media used during the campaign and what the voters in one community said were important.

Literature review

Through agenda setting, those in control of the media have the power to reach the masses whether they’re involved in politics or not. As it pertains to social media specifically, controlling what consumers are exposed to on a daily basis is virtually effortless through strategically placed ads, videos, etc. Which supports the point previously made: agenda setting thrives off influencing the eye of the consumer.

Social Networking Sites and Their Characteristics

The start of social networking sites also known as (SNS) has had a direct impact on agenda-setting theory. SNS users share within their networks what they think is important news. Because SNS users have such a huge impact, they are able to affect public opinion. Meaning if they want their audience to think a certain way, they’ll find a way to make that happen. Facebook added a new feature called “trending” in 2014. Top stories of the day based on your personal preference would be presented. Fortunately, this feature is open to all users. Adding this feature was an attempt from Facebook to become something like a personalized newspaper. The start of social media has caused the process of information being perceived to change. Replacing the professional filter of news outlets, consumers now rely on their friends and their online connections for news to come to them. The primary way to access content on the web is now SNS.

Social Media

Facebook.com is the biggest social networking site in the world which an amount of 800 million users from 2011. The population of the United States is 312 million and Brazil is 190 million. The users on Facebook is more than that combined. Unfortunately, there seems to be confusion among academic researchers on what social media is and what exactly should be included in this term. A group of internet-based applications that build on ideological and technological foundations and that allow the creation and exchange of user-generated content is Social media.  

References

Feezell, J. T. (n.d.). Agenda Setting through Social Media: The Importance of Incidental News Exposure and Social Filtering in the Digital Era. POLITICAL RESEARCH QUARTERLY, 71(2), 482–494. https://doi.org/10.1177/1065912917744895

Grzywińska, Ilona & Batorski, Dominik. (2016). How the Emergence of Social Networking Sites Challenges Agenda-Setting Theory. Konteksty Społeczne. 4. 19-32.

Williams, C. B., Fedorowicz, J., Kavanaugh, A., Mentzer, K., Thatcher, J. B., & Xu, J. (n.d.). Leveraging social media to achieve a community policing agenda. GOVERNMENT INFORMATION QUARTERLY, 35(2), 210–222. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.giq.2018.03.001

Yang, X., Chen, B.-C., Maity, M., & Ferrara, E. (2016). Social Politics: Agenda Setting and Political Communication on Social Media. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-47880-7pass:[_]20

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