EOTO 2 Agenda Setting and Gatekeeping

 EOTO 2 Agenda Setting and Gatekeeping

    For this EOTO project my group was assigned to the topic of theories. My topics were agenda setting and gatekeeping. To start agenda settings is when the media focuses on a topic, the more likely to public is to see the topic as important. This mainly applies within social media, however we see it everywhere. This really shows how much power the media has over us in order to change social debate. As for my other topic of gatekeeping, which is the act of controlling and limiting the access of something. We also largely we see this social media, as well as our careers, and everyday interactions. 

    Agenda settings was first introduced by Maxwell McCombs and Donald Shaw. This was first introduced in the 1970s. They wanted people to know “the media doesn’t tell us what to think, but it tells us what to think about.” A commonly used example referenced theater, thinking of a dark spotlight on a stage. The spotlight it self doesn't change the actors actions or lines. However it changes what we see and when we do.

    To talk more about Gatekeeping, this topic works closely with agenda setting theory. This topic relates to the process in which information is went through before it reaches the public. Editors, journalists, and people that work in public relations act primarily as gatekeepers. They decide how news is shared, framed, and delivered.

    We see these two topics of agenda setting and gatekeeping working very well together. When they do work together their influence is amplified. By selecting what information gets put out, gatekeepers then set a basis for what topics get shared with the public. An example of this would be seeing different information on how the covid vaccine is good and is looked at as a good thing. Gatekeepers will then go in and try to change peoples minds and put out negative effects on the vaccine in order to get then not to use it. Thus just shows how much the media can influence our generation these days. With the digital age being at a high right now it is important to know your sources and where your information is coming from in general. 

   Overall agenda setting and gatekeeping work hand and hand to influence our media. Sometimes it can be in a positive way but people mainly see it as a more negative thing. Making sure your sources is reliable and as least bias as possible, to insure your getting the best information possible. This is important because you don't want you opinion to get changed do to these theories. Especially when dealing with controversial topics it is important to stay true to who you are by finding good trustable news sources. Agenda setting and gatekeeping are always things to be aware of in order to better your work.