Agenda setting theory emphasizes the notion that the media have a major influence in building and shaping public perceptions. The role of the media in building public perceptions is directly related to the formation of public opinion. The implication is that the discourse or discourse that becomes public discussion is determined by the role of the media.
This theory seeks to explain that the discourse that circulates and becomes public opinion is an agenda set by the media. Specifically, the work of journalists, media buzzers, and so on is to design or adjust what will be the public’s concern.
We can explicitly detect the significance of the role of the media in shaping discourse. In today’s digital era, online media is one of the most powerful means of making an issue mainstream. Read also The Negative Impact of the Internet: A Social Exploration.
The main concern of the agenda setting theory is to reveal the actors, both individual and organizational, who play in building the agenda, through the skilled hands of media workers. The government is also one of the actors who often use the media to choose issues that will be exposed to the public.
An example of a phenomenon that can be explained by agenda setting theory is reporting on state debt. Empirical data shows an increase in debt. However, public concern has been diverted to other issues considered to be the government’s achievements, such as infrastructure development, for example. The media have a role to play in shaping infrastructure development as an agenda, rather than the risk of increasing debt.
Another example that is no less interesting is the role of the media in exposing the other side of a protest movement to criticize government policies. For example, looking at the environmental impact of an action by making headlines that pro-Ahong mobs littered public spaces by leaving candles along the sidewalks. Or the pro-Anesh mob ruining bouquets. Instead of discussing the political vision and ideas behind the protest movement, the media have turned the damage caused by protests as a main agenda.
Also read : Benefits of the Internet in the Social Field Agenda setting theory is very relevant to be used to help explain social phenomena in an era where the mainstream media has a significant influence in shaping public perceptions. This theory can be traced to the roots of its conception from the perspective of Marxism, especially regarding how social institutions such as the media become tools to control ideology.
Through the media, an angle or point of view is chosen, headlines are written and exposed to the public. The issue seen from one angle is consumed by the public so that it has become the mainstream. The public, which often does not have the ability to see the overall portrait of an issue and can only receive information through intermediaries, can also reproduce the issue that has been set. On the other hand, the media as an intermediary is never neutral, the content is formed, designed, constructed and set based on the direction of the people who work in it.
Read also Social Reality: Understanding and Examples It is arguably impossible for us to consume every news directly and completely. As a result, news will never reach us except through media intermediaries.
A truth about the divestment of PT. Freeport will not reach our ears except through a link shared by our friends on social media, for example. Of course, assuming that we are not directly involved in the negotiation process, but rather just sitting in front of the laptop consuming the issues circulating online.
The online platform allows the emergence of a variety of alternative media that try to offer another perspective on an issue. This opinion is certainly positive. However, this view can be an illusion only when actors who have large capital power try to play a role in shaping issues to benefit themselves through online media. As a result, the public who can only consume it again becomes the victim.
Also read: Positive and Negative Impacts of Social Media One example is the role of political buzzers affiliated with certain political actors to raise the image of the figures they carry and drop the profile of their opponents. Political buzzers have a big influence because their posts easily go viral. Finally, knowledge of agenda setting theory can help us uncover the realities hidden behind media coverage.
