Donald Shaw, a professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, came to Lipscomb’s campus on January 27, 2011 to discuss his agenda setting theory.
When introducing his the idea of agenda setting, Shaw referred to a an old saying from a political scientist that states, “the media doesn’t tell us what to think; they tell us what to think about.”
Shaw went on to discuss the evolution of media and how vastly new media can influence Americans. In his presentation, Shaw focused on two types of media: vertical and horizontal.
Vertical media tells us what issues to think about, while horizontal media takes it a step further, telling us how to think about those issues.
Shaw revealed, through a 2008 study done at UNC-Chapel Hill, that people of differing political associations use media in different ways, helping the media to take advantage of this and implement their agenda on a receptive audience.
While Democrats use more vertical media, Republicans and independents tend to utilize horizontal media in addition to their own personal views.
After hearing Shaw speak, one can more clearly see how the media plays a large role in agenda setting, and I fully agree with his theory.
I believe the media plays a crucial role in the weight of value American citizens give different issues. As the media place more emphasis on certain issues, Americans begin to hold that issue higher than one that they don’t hear about every day.
Shaw’s theory has prompted me to take a step back from the media, to be aware of their motive in setting a certain agenda. By doing so, I can place more emphasis on the real significance of an issue rather than the emphasis the media places on it.
But for those who have not been made aware of Shaw’s agenda setting theory, the cycle will continue. Shaw summed it up by saying, “the media lead the public; the public doesn’t lead the media.”
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