Research Transmutation of Agenda Setting Theory (2010-2022)—A Meta-Analysis Based on Journalism Studies

Abstract

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the birth of Agenda Setting Theory, this paper takes the international flagship journal “Journalism Studies” as the object, and uses the Meta-Analysis method to re-count a large number of the existing empirical literature, and analyze the transmutation in Agenda Setting theory in terms of research focus, subject areas and research methods over the past 12 years by statistical indicators in the relevant literature and corresponding statistical formulas. The results show that Agenda Setting research cannot escape from seeking to establish a link between the salience of media issues and the public’s perception of the importance of these issues; the thematic focus of this theoretical research goes beyond the traditional concern for public affairs and continues to spill over to the military, climate, finance, and other fields, which expand the scope of application of the theory; with the development of network science and artificial intelligence, network analysis and machine learning methods are gradually being used in Agenda Setting research, injecting new perspectives and more possibilities into this theoretical research.