Agenda Setting Theory

Agenda Setting Theory

According to recent research, there are 4.39 billion people around the world who use the internet, with 3.48 billion being social media users. The majority of these social media users receive the latest news through social media platforms such as Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat instead of traditional media. Social media sites have become pathways to the news because they can be accessed easily at the touch of a button. A survey by the Pew Research Center revealed that Facebook and Twitter are the social media platform of choice when it comes to accessing news and information. However, there has been evidence that has shown that social media users interact differently with the news on social media, with the majority choosing to scroll and read headlines instead of reading the information. News on social media sites is also regulated to ensure that only the content that meets the threshold of the social media company appears on the feed. Since nearly half of the global population receives their news through social media, it is essential to investigate the standards, practices, culture, and regulation of these social media platforms as well as analyze some ethical considerations.

A recent study in the United States indicated that 81 percent of adults opt to retrieve news on current events, weather, and sports from social media sites. Such a realization has prompted traditional news companies such as CNN, MSNBC, and Fox to launch social media pages where they distribute information to millions of people who follow them on different platforms. For example, CNN has a vibrant Facebook page that has millions of followers as well as hundreds of comments on each of their videos and posts, which serves as an indicator of their massive footprint on social media. CNN is renowned all over the globe for reporting on credible and reliable information, which is reflected on their Facebook page. The media company has a practice of posting news updates on their page on an hourly basis, which shows that the company sees Facebook as a vehicle for delivering news. CNN has a stringent policy on the quality and credibility of information they present to the masses, which means that the items displayed on their Facebook page have been met the company’s standards. MSNBC is yet another media company that has invested in social media as a mechanism of passing news on to the millions of people on social media. MSNBC’s Twitter feed is often awash with news and updates on unfolding events across the globe. Twitter ranks second to Facebook concerning use as a platform to obtain news. The content on MSNBC’s Twitter feed is short and straight to the point, but it is often accompanied by links that open to the company’s website. MSNBC relies on Twitter as a means of delivering up-to-the-minute communication that is reliable to the critical mass of active users.

Surveys and studies by researchers have indicated that people interact differently with news feeds and posts on social media. In social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter, breaking news and trending topics are what users interact with the most. For example, people will tend to interact more with posts that contain news on a disaster or significant political event. Aside from such news, social media users will typically scroll through news feeds, spending a maximum of ten seconds per post. Research has indicated that social media users interact more with posts that are short and accompanied by pictures or videos. As such, news companies such as CNN have a practice posting news in the form of brief paragraphs that are accompanied by an eye-catching caption or picture.

Reddit is yet another social media platform that is used extensively as a source of information. However, unlike Facebook or Twitter, Reddit uses votes by users to determine the news that will appear on the site’s front page. Reddit is mostly used as a discussion website, social news aggregation, and content rating. The platform ranks fifth in the United States in terms of the most visited websites, which makes it a social media site of choice for media companies such as Fox. Reddit allows users to access live streams and hold discussions on different topics. The site clusters users into communities and enables them to share links and engage in discussions. Reddit is unique from other platforms because it allows the Redditors to vote a post “up” or “down.” The site is also keen on maintaining high standards and curb practices such as bullying. To achieve this, Reddit awards “karma” points to users whose comments are up-voted by others in the community.

Social media regulation has emerged as an essential subject for ethical consideration and a means of maintaining the credibility of platforms. Facebook exercises censorship on posts that are categorized as either graphic or inappropriate, which includes nudity and disturbing content. For example, Facebook has been known to censor pornographic images and ban users who regularly post such content. Twitter also policies the kind of information that is displayed on the platform. Twitter is especially known for regulating tweets that are considered to be inflammatory. For example, Twitter has, in the past, deleted tweets by right-wing users, which were labeled as hateful. Regulation is essential because it ensures that social media sites are used for the sole purpose of communication rather than being used as platforms to spread negative messages. However, there are some circumstances where social media sites can lift censorships. For example, if important news contains vulgar or violent, social media regulators may allow this because of the significance of the information. Furthermore, if a piece of information is being streamed through a live feed, regulation may be difficult.

The issue of bias and issues on the freedom of speech are some of the ethical considerations that arise in social media platforms. For instance, right wing activists have from time to time accused Twitter of censoring their political arguments. The groups claimed that Twitter favored left wing sentiments on their platform which amounts to bias. Facebook has also been accused of deleting comments and posts from Islamic groups which it labels as inflammatory or hateful which raises the question of freedom of speech. Facebook has developed a culture of censoring information that has been flagged as inappropriate and banning some users. The users whose posts or comments are censored often reduce such comments although they openly air their grievances on the strict regulations.

In this digital age, social media has revolutionized the way people around the globe consume news. The majority of internet users prefer getting their news on social media platforms which has inspired news company outlets such as CNN to use social media as a parallel channel of communicating information. Social media companies such as Facebook have unique practices, standards and regulations that affects the way people consume news on the platform. In summary, social media has changed the way people access and digest information which is advantageous  although it is accompanied by a few ethical considerations.