Basic Idea of Agenda Setting

The media don't tell people what to think, but what to think about.

Two Methods Used to Study

Agenda Setting

(1). Content Analysis

(2).Survey

Issues Affected by Media Coverage

(1). Unobtrusive Issues

(2). Obtrusive Issues

(3). Abstract Issues

(4). Concrete Issues

Unobtrusive Issues

Issues we have little or no experience with.

(Ex: famine or genocide)

-Agenda setting DOES occur

Obtrusive Issues

Issues that the public can experience directly.

(Ex: cost of living, unemployment, crime)

-Agenda setting does NOT occur

Abstract Issues

Issues that are difficult to conceptualize or grasp.

(Ex: federal budget deficit, tax reform, health insurance)

-Agenda setting does NOT occur

Concrete Issues

Issues that are easier to understand

(Ex: terrorism, war effects, gas prices)

-Agenda Setting DOES occur

Three Things that Shape the Media Agenda

(1). Public

(2). Media

(3). Government

Criticisms of Agenda Setting

(1). Difficult to show cause-and-effect between media coverage and public opinion.

(2). Who sets the media's agenda? Does public opinion cause increased attention to

 certain issues?

Agenda Building

Public, media, and government mutually influence each other in determining issue importance.

Influences on Media Content

(1). Individual Media Workers

(2). Media Routines

(3). Organizational Influences

(4). Factors Outside Media Organizations

(5). Ideology

Basic Idea of Framing

A process of selecting and emphasizing certain aspects of messages through keywords and phrases, or visual images.

(Framing suggests that the media may be able to tell us what to think).

4 Actions That Can Be Used to

Establish Frames

(1). Association

(2). Repetition

(3). Sourcing

(4). Placement

Media Framing

Media's use of cues to help us know how to interpret messages, through which message production is simplified.

(Rather than telling a story in an hour, we can

"tell" a story in 30 seconds).

Polysemy

A message that is capable of many different interpretations

3 Kinds of Message Interpretation

(1).Preferred Reading

(2). Negotiated Reading

(3). Oppositional Reading

Where Framing Occurs

(1). At the source level

(2). At the journalist level

(3). At the source-journalist interaction

Preferred Reading

The message intended by the message's producer

Negotiated Reading

When the receiver of a message adjusts it

to personal needs and or experiences.

Oppositional Reading

When the receiver of a message interprets the message in the opposite way that the message's

producer intended.

Two Different Kinds of Media Frames

(1). Episodic (Specific event/story)

(2). Thematic (More general, overall frame)

Second Level Agenda Setting

Media tells us whether to like or dislike

something

-A cross between agenda setting and framing

Ideology

A set of beliefs that rule a certain group

7 Major Media Companies that Control 97% of Media Content

(1). Newscorp

(2). Disney

(3). Viacom

(4). Time Warner

(5). GE

(6)Bertlesman

(7) Vivendi-Universal

Spriral of Silence Theory

This theory states that if we perceive our opinion is in the minority, we will not speak out for fear of isolation.

Climate of Opinion

Surveying one's environment on whether your opinion is in the majority and on the rise, or in the minority and on the decline.

-Consonant

-Ubiquitous

-Cumulative

Social Network Site

A public profile with an articulated list of connections and hyperlinks.

The 5 Media Attributes of Social Network Sites

(1). Interactivity

(2). Structure

(3). Channel

(4). Textuality

(5). Content

4 Aspects of Computer-Mediated

Communication

(1). Archivable & Recorded

(2). Asynchronous

(3). Controlled Presentation

(4). Uncontrolled Audience

4 Aspects of Face-to-Face Communication

(1). Unarchived and Live

(2). Synchronous

(3). Less-Controlled Presentation

(4). Controlled Audience

Social Network Analysis

A quantitative method for studying properties

of a social network.

Sociogram

Visual Depiction of a Social Network

Three Parts of a Sociogram

(1). Ego-(center actor in the sociogram)

(2). Node-(individual)

(3). Arc-(relationship between nodes)

Social Capital

Access to resources and information that comes from "who you know"

(Ex: help on an assignment, job reference, information about a cool party)

2 Sources of Social Capital

(1). Enforceable Trusts (strong ties)

(2). Reciprocity Norms (weak ties)

2 Problems with Social Network Sites

(1). Privacy

(2).Collapse of Content

Qualities of Enforceable Trusts (5)

(1). High density

(2). Rapid information flow

(3). Lacks diversity

(4). Small, inner-circle of

a larger network

(5). Driven by threat of social

sanctions

Qualities of Reciprocity Norms (5)

(1). Low density

(2). Slow information flow

(3). More diverse

(4). Large group

(5). Driven by the norm

of reciprocity

Biopolitics

We have a biological intrinsic need to listen

to authority

Communication Campaigns

Strategic series of messages designed to get an audience to change their attitudes and/or

behaviors; Purposive attempts to inform, persuade, or motivate behavior changes in a defined audience.

(Noncommercial benefits to society/individual)

Social Marketing

A process of designing, implementing, and controlling programs to increase the acceptability

of a prosocial idea among population segments

of consumers.

5 Successful Campaign Principles

(1). Understand historical, conceptual dimensions.

(2). Use formative evaluation

(3). Analyze & understand media choices in order to reach target audience.

(4). Mix media and interpersonal channels

(5). Set reasonable criteria for success

Stakeholders

Individuals, groups, and organizations that initiate the campaign, as well as others who become involved due to interests.

3 Assumptions of Social Norms Campaigns

on Binge Drinking

(1). Students drink to be like peers

(2). They overestimate how much peers drink

(3). If we tell them what the norm is, they will

reduce their drinking

Persuasion

Communicative behavior that has as its purpose the changing, modification, or shaping of the responses (attitudes or behavior) of the receiver.

Attitude

An abstract evaluation of an object

(Easiest to change)

McGuire's Matrix Model

A model that discusses the necessary variables to consider in developing a persuasion campaign.

Two Variables of McGuire's Matrix Model

(1). Inputs: controlled by the source of the message.

(2). Outputs: what happens to the message once it's sent out to recipients; not controlled.

5 Actors in Inputs of McGuire's Matrix Model

(1). Receiver--> channel

(2). Source-->sponsor of message

(3). Context-->the way the message is presented; the environment it appears in

(4). Channel-->the medium through which to reach audience

(5). Message

6 Output Variables from McGuire's Matrix Model

(In Order)

(1). Exposure (seeing/hearing the msg)

(2). Attention (stopping to pay attention to it)

(3). Yielding (thinking about the message,

beyond mere attention)

(4). Comprehension (understanding the msg)

(5). Retrieval (Being able to think of the msg at the right time)

(6). Action (using the message to express attitude/perform behavior

Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM)

When confronted with a persuasive message designed to change their attitudes, individuals will take one of two routes to attititude change:

(1). Central Route

(2).Peripheral Route

3 Reasons Why Health Campaigns Are Difficult

(1). When talking about health campaigns, you're talking about established behaviors and habits.

(2). There is a perception of invulnerability, especially among young people.

(3). There are a lot of competing messages from the media

2 Variables Evaluated During Reasoned Action

(1). Our attitude toward the behavior

(2). Perceived attitude of significant others

Subjective Norm

Our perceived attitude of significant others regarding particular behavior and it's

 consequences

Demographics

Variables used to categorize people by life characteristics

(Ex: age, gender, education level, income)

Pyschographics

Variables used to reflect attitudes, beliefs, and behavior

(Better way to target audience than demographics, but more $$)

Rating

Audience watching/Universe Estimate

(Out of everybody who owns a TV, the amount of people watching the TV program)

(The higher the rating, the more $$ it costs to advertise during the program)

Shares

Out of everybody who has a TV turned on, how many people are watching a TV program.

Third-Person Effect

We think that negative media messages have no influence on ourselves, but they will have a large influence on others.

(Ex: violence, pornography, negative political ads)

-The more negative the message, the greater the difference between self and others.

Social Distance Corrollary

The greater the distance between us and

others, the greater the third-person effect.

Self-Enhancement

We want to believe that we are better (smarter) than others.

-We don't want to admit that media messages affect us.

Subliminal Messages

Messages that are hidden appeals that penetrate the unconscious mind of consumers, especially

using sex & death.

Product Placement

A product that is placed in another medium

aside from an advertisement.

Credibility

Two chief components:

(1). Expertise-(deals with the extent to which people perceive that the source of the message is a real expert on the topic)

(2). Trustworthiness-(deals with the extent to which people find the source of the message to be reliable or truthful)

Public Opinion

Aggregate of a public's attitude toward an

 issue or object

(Formally received by opinion polls)

2 Sources of Our Perception of Public Opinion

(1) News Media- (coverage of polls, news reports, protests, etc)

(2). Interpersonal Contacts- (discussion w/others)

Technological Determinism

The idea that the medium, not the message,

determines changes in human behavior

Central Route to Persuasion (ELM)

A highly rational or cognitive route; the message is carefully scrutinized and counterarguments

must be defeated in order for the message

 to be successful.

-Likely that attitude will stay with them longer

 (Taken by active information seekers)

Peripheral Route to Persuasion (ELM)

Persuasion takes place with much less carefull scrutiny of the message; certain cues in the message lead people to accept the persuasive proposition with little cognitive thought.

-Take by passive people

(No loyalty to product/attitude change)

Pyschoanalytic/Freudian Perspective

According to Freud, the death wish and thoughts about the sexual appetite are repressed in the unconscious mind because there are few socially acceptable outlets for their expression.

-Subliminal messages supposidly unlock those urges and motivate a person to purchase the advertised product.

Perpetual Linkage

The new tendency for youth to be constantly connected with each other through some type of technology.

Interactivity

Refers to the extent to which a person is actually able to interact with the technology in a meaningful way.

-2 way-->internet, telephone

-1 way-->TV, radio

(A media attribute of SNS')

Structure

Refers to the extent to which a medium is linear or nonlinear.

-nonlinear-->internet

-linear-->TV, radio, newspaper (kind of)

(A media attribute of SNS')

Channel

Refers to whether information is presented visually, acoustically, or in both channels at one.

 (visually vs. aurally)

-Radio--> aural

-TV, internety-->both

-Newspaper-->visual

(A media attribute of SNS')

Textuality

Refers to how much of the information in a medium is communicated in text form.

-Internet-->mixed

-Newspaper-->text

(A media attribute of SNS')

Content

Refers to the actual information conveyed by the medium, such as violence, sex, persuasive messages, or information.

-Personal Info

-Picture Genres

(A media attribute of SNS')

Hot vs. Cool Media

Cool media allow high levels of participation and involvement while hot media do not involve the recipient of the message as much.

-TV-->cool media

-Newspapers, radio, film-->hot media

Counter-Attitudinal Message

A message that is different from the position the

receiver holds themselves; more likely

to have a central route to persuasion