About this Research Topic
The one-way flow of influence from press to public that undergirded traditional theories of agenda-setting has shifted to a multi-directional flow inclusive of social media platforms, news aggregators, individuals, and classic forms of media. Within this cacophonous new media ecology, reports of social protest from Egypt to Minnesota bubble up from citizens to media, traditional media organizations follow the engagement of their consumers in deciding where to direct resources and reporting, all while social media bots leverage the political biases of citizens to magnify the spread of dis- and misinformation.
Recent research is suggestive that the locus of power in agenda-setting has not only changed, but is fluid. With this shift in theory comes a pressing need to redefine agenda-setting in this new media ecology, which accounting for the ways in which shifts in the use of communication technology do or do not adhere to this important theory of media effects. Especially important is the role new developments in political communication and communication technology - social media platforms, social bots, misinformation - play in the orienting of public attention to social and political problems. Moreover, the ability of citizens to act as agenda-setters, both of fellow citizens and the media, raises important questions about the extent to which public political engagement and participation has changed as a result of this new media ecology.
Both quantitative and qualitative research manuscripts empirically examining information flows in the agenda-setting process are welcome. Papers can take either a broad-based theoretical overview or substantive topic orientation, though topical manuscripts should use the subject matter to broaden scholarly understandings of agenda-setting. Manuscripts that make use of new forms of data measuring behavioral outputs (search trends, online interactions, engagement with social and/or traditional media) are especially encouraged.
Topics of particular interest include, but are not limited to:
• How much control over the public agenda do traditional media organizations exert in the new media ecology?
• Can well-timed misinformation serve to disrupt the broader public agenda?
• To what extent do social media influencers act as traditional agenda-setters?
• Do shifts in agenda-setting power from media to public increase political participation?
• How can scholars of agendas accurately measure and study a media ecology that spans individuals, states, social networks, and traditional news organizations?
• In a world where public attention is both always on and frequently distracted, how do pressing social and political issues get covered, and who pays attention?
Recent research is suggestive that the locus of power in agenda-setting has not only changed, but is fluid. With this shift in theory comes a pressing need to redefine agenda-setting in this new media ecology, which accounting for the ways in which shifts in the use of communication technology do or do not adhere to this important theory of media effects. Especially important is the role new developments in political communication and communication technology - social media platforms, social bots, misinformation - play in the orienting of public attention to social and political problems. Moreover, the ability of citizens to act as agenda-setters, both of fellow citizens and the media, raises important questions about the extent to which public political engagement and participation has changed as a result of this new media ecology.
Both quantitative and qualitative research manuscripts empirically examining information flows in the agenda-setting process are welcome. Papers can take either a broad-based theoretical overview or substantive topic orientation, though topical manuscripts should use the subject matter to broaden scholarly understandings of agenda-setting. Manuscripts that make use of new forms of data measuring behavioral outputs (search trends, online interactions, engagement with social and/or traditional media) are especially encouraged.
Topics of particular interest include, but are not limited to:
• How much control over the public agenda do traditional media organizations exert in the new media ecology?
• Can well-timed misinformation serve to disrupt the broader public agenda?
• To what extent do social media influencers act as traditional agenda-setters?
• Do shifts in agenda-setting power from media to public increase political participation?
• How can scholars of agendas accurately measure and study a media ecology that spans individuals, states, social networks, and traditional news organizations?
• In a world where public attention is both always on and frequently distracted, how do pressing social and political issues get covered, and who pays attention?
Keywords: agenda-setting, media ecology, social protest, political communication, social media, misinformation
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
