EOTO #2- Reactions

This EOTO opened my eyes to new terms and concepts I had never heard of. The three most exciting presentations for me were agenda-setting, gate keeping, and citizen journalism. 

 Agenda Setting is the idea that the news media covers the stories we should pay attention to. Agenda setting shapes what the public thinks because it controls what the public sees. There are three types of agenda setting. Public agenda setting is when the public determines the agenda; media agenda setting is when the media determines the agenda; and policy agenda setting is when both public and press influence agendas. These groups diverse agenda-setting to show people what they think is important and relevant, leaving no room for personal opinion. Aside from the media controlling what you see, agenda setting has significant side effects. The media wants to control what you think, even off the news; they can influence you to feel like they do. Some negative association with agenda setting is that it makes some issues seem more important than others. All stories should be equally covered in the media, but this does not happen. Agenda setting strongly holds over what people think, say, and spread. Something else that I researched that goes along with agenda setting is framing. 

Framing is the idea that news media shape the story according to its biases. Framing refers to how the information is presented to the viewers. Media tries to throw all different things at you so that you can think like them. It can also trick you into misleading information, and they can lie as well. The media framing information has a significant impact on how people receive this information. Framing also shapes people's opinions and minds about an issue because, usually, the media only shows one side of the story. The media favors one side and only wants to portray that side to people. Anything type of news you receive can be framed and probably is. Nothing anymore can go without some bias because today. Everyone feels as if they need to pass their own opinions for the information to matter. In reality, all people want is the hard truth, yet some prefer not to know the whole truth. Framing can impact someone's emotions, values, desires, needs, etc. Lastly, framing dramatically affects how people receive, process, and respond to information.

Gatekeeping in regards to media law refers to the process of how platforms, television stations, newspapers, and how they make decisions on whether or not to include specific information or not. These decisions are based on different factors, but ultimately they make the decisions that are going to help them the best. Systems of gatekeeping result in creating hierarchies. Gatekeeping can lead to corruption for those who are trying to get influenced by the media. Gatekeeping can influence political and cultural norms. Even though gatekeeping can be seen as really bad and like the people are being withheld information, it is a crucial function in the media today.

Citizen journalism is when ordinary people create pieces of writing that they are passionate about. Citizen journalism is performed through social media platforms, blogs, podcasts, and online platforms. Citizen journalism is to stand out from the crowd and try to create an impact. Citizen journalism is a response to professional journalism. Citizen journals provide honest opinions and experiences; they can share their voice and say what they want. Since citizen journalism, there have been so many more diverse and "out of the box" pieces that have never been seen before. People write these blog posts only to use them to improve their writing skills and also to help raise awareness of topics they are concerned with. A lot of times, people will talk about issues that mainstream media can not talk about. This gives people a comfortable say in how they feel. There are adverse effects of citizen journalism, like the lack of resources. Citizen journalism is criticized for being biased, incomplete, and not helpful. Another negative factor about citizen journalism is its need for more accountability. They are not held to the same standards as mainstream media journalists. Overall, while citizen journalism is very beneficial for viewers to see different types of media, users of citizen journalism should be careful to ensure they are getting reliable information.