Topic > How the media influences public opinion - 1625

Abstract In our democratic society, the mass media are the driving force of public opinion. Media sources such as the Internet, newspapers, news, etc., play a significant role in shaping a person's understanding and perception about the events that have happened in our daily lives. As long as newspapers, the Internet, television networks, etc., continue to be easily accessible to the public, the media will continue to have an influence in shaping its opinions. Factors such as agenda setting, framing, and priming help shape public opinions. Agenda setting occurs when the media focuses its attention on selected issues about which the public will form an opinion, while framing allows the media to select certain aspects of the issue and therefore make them appear more salient. Similarly, priming works by repeatedly exposing certain issues to the audience. As problems gain more visibility, the individual will be more likely to remember or retain the information in their mind. This article will discuss these three factors systematically implemented by the media and how our opinions are constantly influenced and shaped by them. How the media influences public opinion In our democratic society, the mass media is the driving force of public opinion. Media sources such as the Internet, newspapers, news, etc., play a significant role in shaping a person's understanding and perception about the events that have happened in our daily lives. But how much influence do the mass media have on our opinion? Guaranteed by the First Amendment of the US Constitution, the media will always be there to inform us about different events or issues they deem important to the public. The media constantly bombards us with news, advertisements, etc., where...... half the paper ......r attention on selected issues about which the public will form an opinion (McCombs). Framing is an important factor because it allows the media to select certain aspects of the issue and then make them appear more important in the text, which results in an improvement in the meaning or interpretation of the situation (Scheufele). Last but not least, priming has also played an important role in shaping public opinion. Priming works because the media has repeatedly exposed certain problems to the public. The more exposure to an issue, the more likely an individual will remember or retain the information in their mind. With these three factors systematically brought into play by the media, our opinions are constantly influenced and shaped by them. As quoted by Walter Lippman, “what we know about the world is based largely on what the media decides to tell us” (McCombs).