Agenda Setting is the media's attempt to create and transfer salient issues into the public domain to enable the public to discuss,deliberate or debate on these issues to make informed decisions. Basically,Agenda Setting talks about how the mass media pay attention or highlight certain issues while neglecting others.This theory fails to address certain pertinent issues which I proceed to discuss.
The Agenda Setting theory assumes that if people are exposed to the same media contents,they will place importance on the same issues.This assumption is not true.People have different frames of reference, and therefore what one may consider important after filtering the issues through his frame of reference is different from the other person's.People are therefore not always likely to place importance on the same issues even if they are all exposed to the same media content.
Secondly,this theory fails to consider the personal interest of the individual.Any issue considered salient by the mass media and put in the public domain will not necessarily be considered salient by the public.The audience consciously choose a media product that gives him gratification or that addresses his needs,and it is such issues he may consider to be salient.This theory assumes that once the media considers any issue to be salient and give it dominance,the public automatically regards the issue as salient.The public only considers such issues salient if they personally have interest in them.In such situation,one cannot claim that the issues are considered salient by the audience simply because the media regard them as salient,but rather because they serve the interest of the public.
The Agenda Setting theory uses a very scientific approach,not humanistic,and therefore in practical terms it is not able to stand the test of scrutiny since human beings are known to be very unpredictable.Nonetheless,it is a very useful theory in the effect tradition of the mass media.
Thursday, May 6, 2010
THE DRAWBACKS OF THE USES AND GRATIFICATION THEORY
The uses and gratification theory lies at the extreme end of the media effects tradition.It takes a more humanistic approach to looking at media use.It asks what the audience can do to the media. The uses and gratification theory,though a very good theory,has some drawbacks.
First,uses and gratification theory is primarily functional in its orientation,and it tends to ignore the dysfunctions of media in society and culture(Littlejohn,1989).In essence,uses and gratification research,like other empirical approaches,plays a conservative role in society by maintaining the status quo(Anderson,1996)It tends to view media in mainly positive ways and as capable of meeting audience needs.Little attention,according to critical scholars is paid to the negative cultural effects that media have on society.
Second,uses and gratification research portrays media consumption as primarily rational and individualistic,whereby individuals control consumption according to conscious goals.This assumes that the audience are aware of every factor entering their media choices and do not misjudge the causes of their behaviour.Little attention is therefore afforded to the ways in which the media may be consumed mindlessly or ritualistically.
Regardless of the above drawbacks,uses and gratification can be very useful from the functional perspective.This theory is indeed a very profound theory of the effect tradition.
First,uses and gratification theory is primarily functional in its orientation,and it tends to ignore the dysfunctions of media in society and culture(Littlejohn,1989).In essence,uses and gratification research,like other empirical approaches,plays a conservative role in society by maintaining the status quo(Anderson,1996)It tends to view media in mainly positive ways and as capable of meeting audience needs.Little attention,according to critical scholars is paid to the negative cultural effects that media have on society.
Second,uses and gratification research portrays media consumption as primarily rational and individualistic,whereby individuals control consumption according to conscious goals.This assumes that the audience are aware of every factor entering their media choices and do not misjudge the causes of their behaviour.Little attention is therefore afforded to the ways in which the media may be consumed mindlessly or ritualistically.
Regardless of the above drawbacks,uses and gratification can be very useful from the functional perspective.This theory is indeed a very profound theory of the effect tradition.
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