The television show The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, an adaptation of the Archie comic Sabrina the Teenage Witch, focuses on the story of a vivacious young witch balancing her human life with the responsibilities that come with being a witch. Upon its release, this show faced backlash due to criticism that it promoted witchcraft and the benefits of following Satan. However, despite its disapproval within some communities, The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina has managed to resonate with audiences who relate to the story of a young woman discovering her own power and using it to end the oppression of marginalized groups in her community. Due to how this show portrays witchcraft, it can be argued using the agenda setting theory that the show depicts a positive view of witchcraft, thus enticing viewers to start researching and practicing witchcraft in their actual lives. While not likely to be the only cause, the agenda setting theory provides an explanation as to how shows like The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina entice viewers to explore witchcraft as a means of cultivating and utilizing a sense of power and agency not often afforded to women.

 

In The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, the audience watches a young female use her witchcraft to not only assist her friends and her daily life, but also to fight off evil powers trying to prey on her community, whether those foes be mundane or supernatural. Though the main character often faces difficulties that would only be logical in the fantasy world of television, the writers of the show constantly make witchcraft seem like something that could be very beneficial in everyday life. Though not many people could relate to the demonic creations often plaguing Sabrina and her friends, many can identify with the struggles of young people trying to navigate a world filled with racism, ableism, sexism, and plights of gender identity. For many, watching a young girl use witchcraft to navigate life’s hardships may seem like a very appealing option.

 

Though the show in no way forces its viewers to study witchcraft, the agenda setting theory argues that the show influences the viewers perspective of witchcraft, and the viewer is then free to form their own opinions after independent research. As is mentioned in The U.S. Media’s Effect on Public’s Crime Expectations, the media is capable of setting the agenda of people's attention in terms of certain issues or topics (Media’s Effect, 2020). While commonly used to explain the effects of  news media on the public, it is certainly possible to apply it to other forms of media as they are also capable of providing information to shape the views of the public. In the case of The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, the show has either directly or indirectly set the agenda for audiences to crave the powers that witchcraft grants.

 

Though witchcraft has been practiced by an abundance of cultural groups for as long as humans have existed, it still has a mostly negative stigma in modern societies. Through the lingering effects of the witch trials and various religious constraints, witchcraft has not only been discouraged, but vilified. However, popularity in witchcraft has begun to rise exponentially within the last decade. Many, including historia John Callow, correlate the rise of modern witchcraft in the west with the founding of Wicca in the 1950s (Season of the Witch, 2020). Wicca, a religion that utilizes witchcraft in its practice, helped to reshape the public image of witchcraft from satanic-relations to a peaceful, nature-based belief. Additionally, through the rise of social media, individuals have been able to spread awareness of the witchcraft practiced in their culture, such as brujeria and voodoo (Season of the Witch, 2020). These various forms of witchcraft and their rising interest have now resulted in a variety of practices that can be adopted by anyone wishing to study the craft.

 

As pointed out by Kopf in the article The US Witch Population Has Seen an Astronomical Rise companies and media have shifted, to not only accommodate but also profit off of the increased interest and practicing of witchcraft (Kopf, n.d). Though the negative understanding of witchcraft still exists, both in media and in popular culture, many are choosing to reclaim their witchy identity and show that it is not something to be feared. Shows like The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina lends to this narrative by depicting a hero that uses witchcraft for the greater good and rebels against the idea that her practice must be satanic or evil.

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Though The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina is a fantasy show, at its core, it is also a show about female empowerment. Though witchcraft is a practice open to all genders, it has historically been linked to the liberation of women. As is stated by the Guardian, “Witchcraft’s connection with feminism dates as far back as the first witch trials, once parsed as the persecution of women who defied the male establishment (Hunt, 2018)”. With the ongoing plights that women around the world are forced to confront, it is unsurprising that a practice which centers on finding power within oneself would be appealing to those who feel as if they’ve never been allowed to fully cultivate their potential.

 

As is evidenced by the agenda setting theory, female viewers can watch shows like The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina and feel inspired to explore the avenues of empowerment seen on the screen. At the beginning of the show, the viewers watch as Sabrina struggles between her desire to hold onto her human autonomy and her destiny of dedicating her soul to Satan in order to continue being a witch. Young women watch as Sabrina boldly claims that her name is her own and that she will not sign it away to a man, and they may feel inspired to channel that sort of strength in their own lives. Through the lens of the agenda setting theory, it is clear that even if The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina does not necessarily push viewers into supporting witchcraft, it certainly opens up the option to them, allowing them to explore it and find their own power within it.

 

Critics of the agenda setting theory may say that television is not likely to influence anyone’s viewpoint on anything. For the most part, people know the difference between fantasy television and real life. While this is absolutely true, and it is not likely that many people think they’ll be able to truly mimic the fantastical elements of the show, The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina is a fantasy program that easily weaves in elements of real life, and even real witchcraft. Though legitimate witchcraft cannot obtain the same results as a hollywood television show, it is still a practice used by people for millennia to manipulate outcomes in their lives. Just as the agenda setting theory states, the show would not tell people what to think and believe; instead, it provides a framework that introduces a new idea to the viewer, and it is then up to them to utilize that information in whichever way they see fit. It may also be argued that witchcraft in television could not entice young viewers if they are already conditioned to fear or be weary of it. While this can certainly be true, it is also very normal for people to take an interest in things that are seen as taboo in society; natural curiosity may inspire a viewer to learn more about witchcraft, even if they have no intention of ever using the information. However, during a time in which young people, specifically those that identify with marginalized groups, worry about the freedom afforded to them, it is entirely possible to believe that they would seek out inspiration from a show that does an excellent job of showing viewers how they can harness their own power and use it to liberate themselves and those around them.

 

The television show The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina has risen to popularity as a show that exemplifies the positivity of witchcraft and how it may be utilized to make a difference in the world. Sabrina is a character who focuses on discovering the source of her own inner power as a young woman and using it to help the disadvantaged within her community. Through the agenda setting theory, it can be argued that this glamorized and positive spin on witchcraft has lended itself to the rise in young people’s interest in modern day witchcraft.

 

Though the show in no way forces people to become witches on their own, it creates a framework perspective of how a young woman can fight for justice for herself and those around her, a theme which resonates with many young people today. Viewers are then able to conduct their own research on modern witchcraft, for which there is an abundance of information currently circulating popular media. Though it is not the sole cause, The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina certainly correlates with the rise in popularity of witchcraft in recent years. With such positive and powerful depictions of witches presented to young women, it is entirely possible to predict a continued trend of witchcraft and, likewise, shows that continue to work against its formerly demonized persona

 

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Bibliography

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Hunt, E. (2018, October 29). Hex appeal: How Netflix’s Sabrina taps into the rising feminist passion for witches. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/world/shortcuts/2018/oct/29/hex-appeal-how-netflixs-sabrina-taps-into-the-rising-feminist-passion-for-witches

 

Kopf, S. S.-K., Dan. (n.d.). The US witch population has seen an astronomical rise. Quartz. Retrieved November 3, 2020, from https://qz.com/quartzy/1411909/the-explosive-growth-of-witches-wiccans-and-pagans-in-the-us/

 

The U.S. Media’s Effect on Public’s Crime Expectations: A Cycle of Cultivation and Agenda-Setting Theory - ProQuest. (n.d.). Retrieved November 3, 2020, from https://search-proquest-com.mutex.gmu.edu/docview/2124148740?accountid=14541&rfr_id=info%3Axri%2Fsid%3Aprimo

 

The season of the witch: How Sabrina and co are casting their spell over TV | Television & radio | The Guardian. (n.d.). Retrieved November 10, 2020, from https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2018/oct/30/the-season-of-the-witch-how-sabrina-and-co-are-casting-their-spell-over-tv