This article reviews current research on agenda setting and framing theory published in leading foreign communication journals. The article focuses particularly on research on agenda-setting through social media. The authors have studied German, French, Spanish, and Portuguese academic discourses. The key method was a systematic keyword literature review conducted in the leading highly rated scientific journals on communication. The articles in the sample were systematized according to subject matter, methodology, and theoretical framework. It was found that for German-speaking researchers, framing is of interest on two levels: as a tool for agenda-setting by media producers, which scholars attempt to deconstruct, and as an indicator of audience segmentation. French-language media studies take an interdisciplinary approach to agenda-setting studies, focusing on the analysis of actions that draw attention to an issue, on the political and media mechanisms applied, as well as on the results of actions taken. The correlation of public, political, and media agendas has received considerable attention from Spanish researchers. The study revealed the growing influence of digital social media on the information agenda formation and the weakening of the role of institutionalized media in this process. Political framing and the role of mass media in framing of electoral campaigns is a popular topic in Portuguese-language academic discourse.