Agenda Setting through Social Media

The Importance of Incidental News Exposure and Social Filtering in the Digital Era

Bibliographic Data

ID7972192
AuthorsJessica T Feezell (0000-0001-5630-6752, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, USA, corresponding author)
Year2018
Volume71
Issue2
Pages482-494
Publication date2018-06-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenuePolitical Research Quarterly (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1065-9129 • E-ISSN: 1938-274X
PublisherSAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/1065912917744895
OpenAlexW2780410304
LanguageEN
Citations received195
References cited55

Conventional models of agenda setting hold that mainstream media influence the public agenda by leading audience attention, and perceived importance, to certain issues. However, increased selectivity and audience fragmentation in today’s digital media environment threaten the traditional agenda-setting power of the mass media. An important development to consider in light of this change is the growing use of social media for entertainment and information. This study investigates whether mainstream media can influence the public agenda when channeled through social media. By leveraging an original, longitudinal experiment, I test whether being exposed to political information through Facebook yields an agenda-setting effect by raising participants’ perceived importance of certain policy issues. Findings show that participants exposed to political information on Facebook exhibit increased levels of issue salience consistent with the issues shared compared with participants who were not shown political information; these effects are strongest among those with low political interest

Mainstream · Mass media · Media relations · Political science · Politics · Public opinion · Public relations · Salience (neuroscience · Social media · Media Influence and Politics · Media Studies and Communication · Psychology · Social Media and Politics · Social Psychology

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