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Authors: Asem A. Alomari, Mahmoud Y. Mostafa
Keywords: agenda-setting, mass communication theory, agenda-setting expansion, media theory
Abstract: Mass communication theories seek to explain mass media platforms’ influences and processes. The significance of this paper is due to its focus on the agenda-setting theory, which is one of the most well-established theories in the scientific field. Since the agenda-setting theory was established by McCombs and Shaw in 1972, many studies have been conducted to test the essential hypothesis that indicates that media transfers their agenda to the audience by giving a level of significance to specific issues over others. By doing so, the media indirectly suggests what the audience should think about. Other scientific studies have come up with a significant development regarding the agenda-setting theory. This development is called the “second level of the theory”, where media influences audiences’ point of view by giving significance to an aspect of a specific issue within a particular frame. This results in the media indirectly suggesting how the audience should think about this particular issue. The agenda-setting theory only describes the process of how media sets audience agenda within the first two levels, but it does not discuss the lasting effects of this agenda-setting. Therefore, this study presumes that by adding a third level to the agenda-setting, the theory may be developed further to describe the influence on audiences in the long-term. Particularly, this paper seeks to expand the agenda-setting theory to a third level through an analytical approach. This paper also seeks to emphasize how the influence, that can occur as a result of the defected media role, can be covered in the theory’s explanation and interpretation. In conclusion, this paper provides four preliminary hypotheses as a base to add a third level to the agenda-setting theory. This level will help interpret how the media influence audiences in the long-term through agenda-setting. These hypotheses are first, there is a direct correlation between the significance of the issues in the media agenda and the significance of the role played by media. In other words, the more important the issues presented by media, the more serious and significant the role played by media. Second, any defects in the structure or the order of the exposed agenda by media will result in defects in the audience’s adopted visions about the significance of the order or structure of the agenda exposed by media. Third, any defects in the audience’s cognition, in terms of the significance of the issues exposed by media, will result in flaws and defects in generating perspectives by the audience. Hence, their decisions and actions will have defects. Fourth, the defected decisions made by the audience as a result of the defected role of media will affect the goals that a society seeks to accomplish. Hence, defected reality will be generated. This reality will be protected by some society members who benefit from it. Overall, this paper suggests that if future studies utilize and build upon this third level of the agenda-setting theory, the theory will more relevant as it helps interpret and explain the influence that can possibly occur on the audience as a result of the defected media role.