Not only shape of what we think, but how we think about it.
Have you ever noticed how the same event can be covered by different media with different perspectives? That's where framing comes into play. Framing was one of the topics I was most interested in while studying communications in college. I think many people already know how it works, but some may still be completely unaware of it at all.
Amidst the chaos that happen in my country, ordinary people like me might not be able to do much. My parents even asked me why I wasn’t interested about demonstrations and such, but that’s not always the case. It's not that I’m careless, but sometimes the actions we choose to do are based on which POV we followed in a first place.
When the situation is getting worse, the least I can do is remind myself that I shouldn’t easily provoked, even by the media I read. It's actually not that easy as buzzers are everywhere on online platform these days, so it’s also difficult for me to resist being influenced by every narrative.
- The Definition and Purpose of Framing
In mass media practice, framing is an information delivery technique aimed at influencing audiences. Framing can involve a series of interpretations, simplifications of reality, or even an emphasis on certain aspects of an issue or event. In other words, framing is the practice of examining how media create reality and shape public perception. So in general, framing aims to create a specific understanding of an issue or event.
Creating Certain Opinions and Perceptions. In this case, the media not only tells the audience what to think, but also how to think about it. By creating a specific meaning, the media can direct public perception to see the reality of the issue.
Creating an Image. It's nothing new that framing can be used to shape an image of an event or even a person. Certain framing can leave a positive or negative image of an issue or individual being reported.
Influencing Agendas and Priorities. This one is similar to agenda-setting theory, namely how the media highlights and prioritizes certain issues while ignoring other ones. In this way, the media can focusing the public attention and making one issue more important than others.
- How Framing Works
Experts have identified various types of framing used by the media, including conflict framing, human interest framing, and economic framing. Each type of framing serves a specific purpose, whether to inform, persuade, or shape audience opinions and perceptions.
According to a study titled "Exploring the Foundations of Media Framing Theory" published on Research Gate, the media not only reports news but also actively constructs reality by emphasizing certain aspects of one specific issue while downplaying others, which guiding how audiences perceive and evaluate the world around them.
The first way of how framing works is by Emphasis on Information. The selection and choice of certain aspects to emphasize in a news is really important. By highlighting and emphasizing certain information, the media often downplays other aspects which can influence the public's perspective on the reality of a reported issue.
Second, the use of Context and Language. The media has the ability to change public perception without altering the facts because it still uses the same information as its basis. However, the use of certain language and context can influence the audience's judgment when receiving information. This is achieved by choosing certain words and connotations–the packaging of these elements can encourage positive or negative interpretations of an issue.
Last is Utilization of Visuals and Emotional Aspects. The inclusion of photos, images, and illustrations can be used by the media to create meaning and impressions they want to convey. This can influence the audience's perspective, especially if it’s emphasizes emotional aspects. An example of this is the choice of quotes from a particular source or the imbalanced amount of a source's speech. These elements can influence how an issue is understood and interpreted by the public.
According to this article, framing is an abstract concept that functions to organize and structure social meaning. Through framing techniques, the media has the ability to direct public attention to specific themes, resulting in audience decisions.
Generally, framing is related to how the narratives used by the media presents and structures information to shape public perception of an issue or event. With that power, framing theory is a very useful lens for understanding how the media influence on the wider public.
For me personally, recognizing the use of framing techniques in communication can help me to be more critical in receiving information from the media. Furthermore, I can also become more responsible communicator by avoiding directly sharing information whose biases are unclear.
The way I write this topic may be a bit too structured haha because I also use this material to write for a media platform in Indonesia. Recalling my knowlegde about framing really helps me to not overreacting, especially when things get worse and emotions are burning like now. What do you think about framing?