JOUR1111 Blog 10, Lecture 10, Monday 14th May

I care about Masterchef, I have an opinion on Nick D’arcy’s right to hold a gun and I think that the biggest variation in party policy in Australia is gay marriage; am I simple and ignorant with a limited view of the world? Yes. But it also has a hell of a lot to do with agenda setting our lecture served to illustrate. These issues are the ones that get high attention from the media and in turn garner importance from me. How am I meant to know about atrocities on the other side of the world when I am being fed on a diet of what sells, it is only natural to think that the things that get attention are important. 

   

While I admit to being merely a plebe at the mercy of the industry when it comes to what to think about (first level agenda setting) I do like to take the high and mighty stance of being above being told what I think about these issues (second level agenda setting). I think possibly people on the whole are a lot less susceptible to this due to their contrary nature. In my experience people like to oppose what they are being told (although maybe all my friends are just jerks) particularly when it’s by the establishment. For every person jumping on the Kony 2012 bandwagon there were just as many laughing it in the face for no other reason than to spite the others. I am not here to argue with the agenda setting, its effects are irrefutable, but just to note that it’s far from the be all and end all on the public’s opinions.