Agenda-Setting Theory

Agenda-Setting Theory tries to explain in a sentence what life explains in a decade. It is a fair compression.

What the theory says, finally, is that people are predictable in their unpredictability. That is useful knowledge. It lets you forgive more and be surprised less.

The idea is simple, and like most simple ideas it is easy to nod at and hard to use. The nod is free. The use costs attention, every day, in small change.

At the polling booth, the queue is the one place the CEO and the driver stand at the same height. Whatever else one says about it, that hour is a small miracle of design.

Society is a long conversation; the only question is whether you are listening or merely waiting to speak. No ceremony needed. Begin with the very next decision.