One topic I was very interested in was agenda setting and gatekeeping. It talks about how the media can really affect the society's mind and what it limits the public from seeing.
Agenda setting is when the media focuses on a topic, the more likely the public is to see the topic as important. It applies largely in social media because it shows how much power the media has over society. The media has a big influence on how the public views a topic because of the presentation of a report or issue. An example would be the extensive media coverage given to the withdrawal of American troops in Afghanistan in 2021.
Gatekeeping is withholding information and access to something. Lots of people choose to gate-keep different things, it is very popular on social media. It is controlling access to resources, information or opportunities.
They relate because gatekeeping is usually the start of agenda setting. When selecting what information gets shared, gatekeepers get the option to withhold which topics they want for themselves. A good example would be if the media is focused on vaccine distribution, and it is viewed positively and safe, gatekeepers can amplify the possible negative effects, which changes the public's perception.
I think this interested me a lot because it is crazy to see how the public can change society's mind and how much information is withheld from the public. Gatekeeping is such a popular term nowadays especially with influencers. You never really think that it could be anything extreme because it is typically gatekeeping a makeup product or a type of shirt. But it could get really serious when it comes to society and the public. Gatekeeping is in all different worlds, like in business, or relationships, and even in healthcare, which is scary to think about. Some cases of gatekeeping can be very serious, when a primary care doctor limit's a patient's ability to seek a specialist's care.
No comments:
Post a Comment