How does mass media shape the public’s agenda of issues?

Mass media has become such an important aspect to people’s everyday life that there is no doubt that mass media shapes the public’s agenda of issues. The mass media shapes the public’s agenda of issues by deciding what people should think about and making that the main focus of the media. This is done through numerous forms of mass media technology such as television, radio, newspaper, and social media sites. Due to the fact that the topics within the mass media are so easily accessible it makes it a lot easier for the mass media to shape the public’s agenda of issues. The public should know that the mass media is not trying to tell them what to think, but to show and tell them what is important right now that they should be thinking about. This can be a positive and negative thing. On the positive side the public will be informed of breaking news and crucial information. However, this could be viewed negatively because certain information that may pertain to an individual may be over shadowed because it is not considered crucial information that should be portrayed in the mass media.