COMM 302 Assignmemt 2 2 .docx - 1 The Gatekeeping Theory...

1
The Gatekeeping Theory and How it Pertains to the Internet and Social Media
The gatekeeping theory was developed by German psychologist, Kurt Lewin, to explain

2
how events are constantly taking place and therefore the media is unable to cover everything at
once, which forces the media to decide what information should or shouldn’t be passed, how to
pass it, and what will gain the most interest between consumers. The gatekeeping theory ties into
the internet and social media affecting the roles of U.S. television, radio, newspapers and
magazines since the theory has evolved to be applicable to the digital age and selecting what gets
posted by news sites. The theory has always been applicable in a lot of ways even outside of the
media because it elaborates on how certain things take priority above others (Babaei et. al, 2019.)
In the academic journal, “Experimenting with Interaction: TV News Efforts to Invite
Audiences into the Broadcast and their Effects on Gatekeeping,” Brittany McElroy interviewed
12 newsroom employees to see how there has been a shift in the gatekeeping theory; due to the