In the new media era, has the function of traditional media agenda setting been strengthened or weakened?

With the advent of the Internet age, does the agenda-setting theory applicable to traditional media still apply to Internet media? Many researchers believe that the agenda-setting function of the media will change in network communication. In the new media era, the audience has the right to choose their own news sources. In the new media environment, the diversification of communication methods and the generalization of communication subjects have broken the foundation of traditional media setting agenda. Under the network environment, the agenda setting theory under the new information dissemination mode presents some new features on the basis of maintaining its original characteristics.

Network media has the characteristics of immediacy, universality and interactivity. With the rapid development of the Internet, the channels for more and more audiences to obtain information have changed, and obtaining information through the Internet has become the first choice for most people. According to the report released by China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC), by the end of February, the number of netizens in China had exceeded 450 million, and the Internet penetration rate had climbed to 34.3%, so the importance of the network agenda setting function became increasingly prominent.