ABSTRACT

At its essence, the theory of agenda setting deals with the exchange of priorities within a social system: an exchange between groups and media, media and other media, or individuals and media. It deals with the effects that this exchange can have on what we see in the world and how we see the world, how we think about issues, problems, and people. If indeed we are “a reflection of the agendas that we hold” (Shaw, McCombs, Weaver, & Hamm, 1999, p. 7), it is important that we understand the exchange of agendas, why we are drawn to them, where the agendas originate from, the different dimensions of agendas, and what the consequences are of this exchange.