“Hilgartner and Bosk (1988) propose the following problem hierarchy: (1) a few social problems achieve‘ celebrity status’, attracting much attention, (2) a larger number of problems command some public attention; communities of professionals, activists, and interest groups work to keep these problems alive; (3) the majority of social problems remains on the margins of public discourse. Protagonists of social problems aim to move their problem up this hierarchy by attracting more attention.”
(Geels and Penna, 2015: 69)
Hilgartner, S., Bosk, C.L., 1988. The rise and fall of social problems: a public arenas model. American Journal of Sociology 94 (1), 53–78.
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