How mass media shapes public agenda

Mass media shapes the public agenda of issues in various ways. For one, with all of the new forms of social networking media out there such as Twitter and Facebook, people are beginning to hear about global news not just quicker but they are able to see other people's reactions as well. This can greatly affect what issues are being paid the most attention to and what people really care about. For example, last night President Barrack Obama announced via Twitter that he was going to be making a live address online. People all over the world got the message and tuned in. In a way, social networking sites really humanize certain global issues. Seeing reactions of people who are directly or indirectly affected by certain global disasters for instance can draw a great deal of emotional attention to certain news.