agenda setting using the media's ability, functions to raise the importance of an issue in the public's mind simply through repeated news coverage. the act of priming in which the media attend to some issues over others, also alter the standards by which people evaluate the issue. 
very recently, while I was watching random videos on youtube, I had by chance, encountered a video regarding Miley Cyrus and her twitter account. out of curiosity, I clicked on the video to watch it, and it struck me right then and there that the media is really much more influential that I had bother to give credit to. surely, a non-significant action like shutting down your twitter account will never be buzz-worthy. but it was different for Miley Cyrus. because the moment she shuts down her twitter account, it became Entertainment News; E! worthy in mere minutes. it was like a worldwide phenomenon, with more than hundreds of different videos reporting on this seemingly insignificant news. yet, after all that videos, and reports, the idea of the news being an important one has been planted into the public's mind. soon, everyone was talking about it, discussing it, giving their opinions, even raising an issue. even the recent natural disasters which struck several different countries haven’t gotten as much feedback from the public, due to its lack of 'priming' by the media. although, i'd have to say that media influences do depend largely on the direct experiences the public has been exposed to, with the issue addressed. for many, disasters occurring in other countries do not even worry the minority because most people living in the countries not affected by the earthquakes or floods, will be exposed to only obtrusive issues; which has only limited effect.
as for Miley Cyrus's case, being a renowned pop star has made news and gossips regarding her life, an unobtrusive issue to the public. and in knowing the effect of a juicy celebrity gossip, the media has taken the initiative to report more on them, creating a louder volume of news coverage on the issue. additionally, the tone in which the media has used to address this issue elicited a lot of discussions and received a lot of feedbacks. likewise, the tones used, suggesting surprise, shock and disbelief has triggered a lot of responses from the public, each with a different stand. some are angry and irritated with the amount of coverage it was receiving, some are sad Miley Cyrus decided to leave twitter, and others are just plain sarcastic about the whole idea of people making a big fuss out of something so small. yet, despite where you stand, what you say, you are still contributing to more discussions in others; just like what i'm doing now. here's an example of how people are expressing their views on this issue....
finally, there's also the salience. the nature of this news being a celebrity gossip has elevated the interest of the public. moreover, the fact that it was one concerning a pop star, named 'America's favourite' has earned this coverage more publicity worth than it deserved. and the biggest catch was the reason behind her deletion of her twitter account, whether it was true or just another made-up reason, it was regarding her intimate interpersonal relationship and how it had affected her decision. with all that aspects tackled by the media, it's no wonder the public was unable to resist the temptations of making comments on all these.
indisputably through all these, the media has proven to have a substantial amount of influence in our lives. perhaps in the near future, you will see hundreds video featured on youtube urging everyone to comment on this blog of mine. when that happens, you know you will not be able to refrain from it. so before I put my freshly acquired 'agenda setting' knowledge to use, you should comment on your own free wills.
5 comments:
what to do. majority of the people are nosy and too obsessed with famous people. even though the media have substantial influence on people's life--impacting celebrities' life--it also impacts regular people's life. can we really blame the media for this? or should we put the blame on our nosiness and celebrities' thirst for attention?
in my opinion, this act of miley cyrus is just another publicity stunt created to get more attention from the public. she is just using the fact that her boyfriend does not have a twitter account as a reason as she does not want to make it obvious that she is trying to get more attention. and by the looks of the amount of news coverage she received, it's safe to say, her plan has worked.
i think it is right that the media really has an ability to change the way we see things and how we interpret them. if it wasnt for all that is portrayed in the media, miley cyrus's act of shutting down her twitter wouldnt even have been acknowledged. but there are also so many more ways that the media has influenced us into thinking and doing things without our own free wills. like how advertisements tell us what we should buy, how we should look and what we need in order to be what the society has deemed to be good or right.
i have to disagree with erin. i personally feel that i agree very much with the limited effects theory, where audiences are active with the ability to resist media messages and are also able to sought out competing media messages according to their own needs. i think that, although media does have its influence on us, but with the increasing opportunity of acquiring knowledge, we are able to be more aware of their influences, and thus, resist them. and i would like to think that people in the 21st century is much wiser and more rational to differentiate between what is right and wrong, and what we need and what is useless to us.
In my opinion, media's ability to influence the way we see things is most of the time freakishly influential, sometimes even more than what we might allow it to be. i think that even though we might be able to tell ourselves not to be persuaded by the advertisements, more often than not, we are already convinced by it, but we are just trying to deny that fact... until one day, it might set in to us when we least expect it. thats why, subliminal messaging can be said as partly influential in making us think that we want something that is in fact useless.
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