“There Are Straight-Up Demons in the Shadows Among Us:” Agenda Setting of Anti-Human Trafficking Stories of X and Reddit

According to agenda-setting theory, the media agenda changes what and how the public agenda thinks about a topic. Social media is where the public agenda presents itself and needs to be considered in agenda setting theory analysis. This study uses the first and second levels of agenda-setting theory as a means of analysis of news articles and social media posts specifically on Reddit and X, formally known as Twitter, about human trafficking. This case study analyzed the overlap of space-time frames in the media and public agenda and identified the themes in the public agenda. Discussion connects to other literature and presents future directions.