3.3 Framing Theory
3 min read•august 7, 2024
Framing theory explores how media shape our understanding of events and issues. It's about the way information is presented and how that presentation influences our thoughts and opinions. This theory is crucial for understanding media's power in shaping public discourse.
Framing affects both individuals and society. It can change personal views on topics like crime or climate change, and it can also influence broader public debates and policy decisions. Understanding framing helps us become more critical media consumers.
Framing Theory Foundations
Origins and Key Concepts
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- , a prominent sociologist, introduced the concept of framing in his 1974 book " Analysis"
- Frame analysis examines how individuals organize and interpret their life experiences to make sense of the world around them
- Media frames are the central organizing ideas or storylines that provide meaning to an unfolding series of events, suggesting what the controversy is about and the essence of an issue
- Audience frames, also known as individual frames, are the pre-existing notions, knowledge, and experiences that individuals bring to the table when processing and interpreting media content
Relationship Between Media and Audience Frames
- Media frames interact with audience frames to shape public opinion, policy debates, and individual-level attitudes and behaviors
- Media frames can activate or reinforce certain aspects of an individual's existing beliefs, values, and experiences (audience frames)
- The alignment or misalignment between media frames and audience frames can influence how effectively media messages are received and processed by individuals
Types of Media Frames
Episodic and Thematic Framing
- Episodic framing focuses on specific events, individuals, or cases, often presenting issues as isolated incidents (a single terrorist attack, a specific welfare recipient)
- Thematic framing places issues within a broader context, highlighting trends, patterns, and the larger social, political, or economic factors at play (the root causes of terrorism, systemic poverty)
- Episodic frames tend to elicit individualistic attributions of responsibility, while thematic frames encourage societal-level attributions and solutions
Frame Building and Frame Setting
- Frame building refers to the process by which media organizations and journalists select, emphasize, and present certain aspects of an issue or event, thereby constructing a particular frame
- Factors influencing frame building include journalistic norms, organizational pressures, political actors, and cultural resonance
- Frame setting involves the interaction between media frames and audience frames, whereby media frames can shape or alter an individual's understanding and interpretation of an issue
- Frame setting is a dynamic process, as audience frames can also influence the creation and modification of media frames over time
Effects of Framing
Individual-Level Effects
- Framing effects occur when changes in the presentation of an issue or event (different frames) lead to changes in public opinion, attitudes, or behaviors
- Framing can influence individuals' attributions of responsibility, emotional responses, and policy preferences
- For example, framing crime in terms of individual perpetrators (episodic) may lead to increased support for punitive measures, while framing it as a societal problem (thematic) may garner support for preventative policies and rehabilitation programs
- Framing effects are not uniform across all individuals; they can be moderated by factors such as political ideology, issue involvement, and media literacy
Societal-Level Effects
- Framing can shape public discourse, policy debates, and collective action by highlighting certain aspects of an issue while downplaying others
- Dominant media frames can limit the range of perspectives and solutions considered in public discussions, potentially marginalizing alternative viewpoints
- Framing can influence the allocation of resources, political agendas, and the legitimacy of various actors and ideas in the public sphere
- For instance, framing climate change as a scientific consensus may encourage policy action, while framing it as a hoax or a matter of debate can hinder progress on the issue
Key Terms to Review (16)
Agenda-setting: Agenda-setting refers to the process by which media outlets influence the importance placed on topics in public discourse, essentially determining what issues are considered newsworthy and shaping public perception. This concept emphasizes that while the media may not directly tell people what to think, it plays a significant role in guiding what people think about by prioritizing certain stories and issues over others. The way media frames these topics further affects how audiences interpret and understand them.
Cognitive Accessibility: Cognitive accessibility refers to how easily information can be retrieved and understood by individuals based on their mental frameworks. It highlights the role of prior knowledge and experience in shaping how people process and respond to new information, especially in the context of media consumption. This concept is crucial for understanding how framing can influence audience perceptions by making certain ideas or themes more prominent and easier to access in memory.
Cognitive Processing Theory: Cognitive processing theory is a psychological framework that explains how individuals perceive, interpret, and respond to information they encounter. It emphasizes the mental processes involved in understanding media messages, suggesting that viewers actively construct meaning based on their prior knowledge, beliefs, and experiences. This theory is particularly relevant when analyzing how framing impacts perception and influences opinions by highlighting certain aspects of information while downplaying others.
Content analysis: Content analysis is a systematic research method used to interpret and quantify the content of various forms of media by categorizing and analyzing the themes, messages, and patterns within them. This technique allows researchers to draw meaningful conclusions about media effects, representation, and audience perception, connecting deeply with media's role in society.
Emotional Resonance: Emotional resonance refers to the ability of a media message to evoke strong emotional responses in its audience, creating a deeper connection to the content. This phenomenon is crucial because it can shape audience perceptions and influence their attitudes, often leading to more impactful engagement with the material presented. The effectiveness of emotional resonance lies in how well a message aligns with the audience's personal experiences and emotions, making it a key factor in how media frames issues and shapes public discourse.
Episodic Frame: An episodic frame is a way of presenting information that focuses on specific events or individual cases rather than broader contexts or patterns. This approach often emphasizes personal stories and emotional appeal, which can shape public perception and influence attitudes towards an issue. By highlighting particular narratives, the episodic frame can make complex social problems seem more relatable and immediate, but it may also obscure systemic factors that contribute to those issues.
Erving Goffman: Erving Goffman was a Canadian sociologist known for his work on the presentation of self in everyday life and the concept of social interaction as a performance. His theories emphasize how individuals manage impressions in social situations, which ties into the way media frames representations of reality and societal body ideals. Goffman's insights are particularly relevant when considering how media shapes perceptions and expectations regarding identity and body image.
Experimental Design: Experimental design refers to the framework used to conduct experiments, allowing researchers to manipulate variables and observe the effects in a controlled environment. This approach is essential in establishing cause-and-effect relationships, which is particularly important when analyzing media effects and theories. By systematically controlling conditions, researchers can draw clearer conclusions about how different media elements influence attitudes, perceptions, and behaviors.
Frame: A frame refers to the perspective or lens through which information is presented and understood, shaping how an audience perceives a given issue, event, or topic. It helps to highlight certain aspects while downplaying others, ultimately influencing public opinion and understanding. Framing plays a crucial role in media communication, as it guides viewers in interpreting messages by emphasizing specific angles or interpretations.
Framing Effect: The framing effect refers to the way information is presented or 'framed' to influence perceptions, decisions, and judgments. It highlights how different presentations of the same information can lead individuals to form varying interpretations and attitudes, impacting their understanding of a topic or issue. This effect is crucial in understanding how media can shape public opinion and influence behavior by emphasizing certain aspects while downplaying others.
Interpretation Bias: Interpretation bias refers to the tendency for individuals to interpret information in a way that aligns with their preexisting beliefs, attitudes, or expectations. This cognitive bias can significantly shape how media messages are received and understood, influencing individual perceptions and public opinion. The impact of interpretation bias becomes particularly evident when examining how framing can alter the context of information, leading audiences to derive different meanings from the same content based on their biases.
Persuasion: Persuasion is the process of influencing people's beliefs, attitudes, intentions, or behaviors through communication. It relies on the ability to craft messages that resonate with an audience's values and emotions, often employing various techniques such as framing, repetition, and emotional appeals. In media contexts, understanding how persuasion works can help analyze its effects on consumer behavior and the framing of issues in society.
Priming: Priming is a psychological phenomenon where exposure to a stimulus influences the response to a subsequent stimulus, often without conscious awareness. This effect highlights how media content can shape perceptions and behaviors by activating certain associations or thoughts that affect how information is processed later. Understanding priming helps in recognizing the ways media can manipulate audience reactions and opinions, especially in relation to important issues, events, and social norms.
Robert Entman: Robert Entman is a prominent communication scholar best known for his work on framing theory, which examines how the media shapes public perception by highlighting certain aspects of an issue while downplaying others. His foundational contributions emphasize that framing not only influences how information is interpreted but also affects the audience's understanding and emotional response to various topics. This has significant implications for understanding media effects and the role of communication in shaping societal narratives.
Social constructivism: Social constructivism is a theory that suggests knowledge and understanding are developed through social interactions and cultural context. This perspective emphasizes the role of communication, relationships, and experiences in shaping how individuals perceive reality, particularly in media contexts. It highlights that our interpretations of the world are influenced by shared beliefs and societal norms, which is essential for understanding how media frames messages.
Thematic frame: A thematic frame is a conceptual tool used to organize and interpret information by emphasizing certain themes or issues while downplaying others. This framing shapes how audiences perceive and understand news stories or media content, guiding their interpretations based on highlighted themes. It plays a critical role in framing theory, which examines how the presentation of information influences public perception and discourse.