Mass Media Theory, Media Habits, and Infographic

Learning Outcomes:

    My media consumption habits influence my perceptions and behaviors because the media is everything nowadays. What's the first thing you do when you wake up, the majority of the time? Get on your phone. It has been instilled in us since we were babies that a phone is how you communicate. And the sad thing is, in today's day and age, without a cell phone, you might not succeed at anything you do in driveways because that is how everyone communicates. My screen time right now is 1 hour and 45 minutes, which isn't really that bad for a weekly average, but I have had screen times of 6 hours. I remember during COVID, my screen time was so bad that my mom had to legit take my phone out of my hands because I had nothing else to do besides be on our phones. I truly think that  COVID was the biggest iPhone booster. It got to the point where parents had to give their 3-year-old a phone so they could walk away from their kid for a second. The majority of the time, I only use TikTok, Facebook, and Instagram social media-wise wise other than that, the only other apps I use are text messaging and phone calling, and FaceTime. 

 Agenda-Setting Theory, as introduced by McCombs and Shaw, explains how the media shapes what issues the public considers important by highlighting certain topics while downplaying others, and its core concepts, including media agenda, public agenda, and policy agenda, remain vital in understanding today’s media landscape. From Nor Mohd Zain’s overview of the theory's foundation and its three interconnected agendas to Nowak’s analysis of how new media has transformed agenda-setting through intermedia and reverse agenda-setting effects, it’s clear that media no longer operate as a one-way process; instead, citizens and influencers now play active roles in shaping media priorities. Reflecting on my own media use, especially on platforms like Twitter and TikTok, I can see how my sense of what’s important is often guided by what is trending or widely shared, showing the media’s persistent ability to set agendas, even when the “media” is an influencer, algorithm, or viral hashtag. The broader relevance of Agenda-Setting Theory today, as echoed across all three sources, lies in its ability to explain how public concerns are constructed not just by news outlets, but increasingly through participatory media environments where traditional gatekeeping competes with user-driven amplification. This hybrid system highlights the need for media literacy, as audience members must recognize both the influence of media selection and the ways in which they themselves contribute to shaping public priorities.

References

Agenda Setting Theory. (n.d.). ResearchGate. Retrieved November 2, 2025, from https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Nor-Mohd-Zain/publication/321698436_Agenda_Setting_Theory/links/5a2b818d0f7e9b63e538dab7/Agenda-Setting-Theory.pdf

Ewa Nowack. (2010). Agenda-setting theory and the new media. https://archiwum.studiamedioznawcze.eu/Numery/2016_3_66/nowak-en.pdf

Redalyc.The Agenda-Setting Theory. (n.d.). Redalyc. Retrieved November 2, 2025, from https://www.redalyc.org/pdf/971/97120369004.pdf