The project pointed to three areas of analysis: institutional process analysis, which explored how media messages are formulated and distributed; message system analysis, which explored what those messages conveyed as a whole; and cultivation analysis, which explored how media messages impact the way the consumers of media messages perceive the real world.
While all three components are linked, it is cultivation analysis that was and continues to be most widely researched by scholars. Gerbner believed that television was the dominant storytelling media in society. His focus on television rose out of several assumptions about the medium. Gerbner saw television as a resource for the most broadly shared messages and information in history.
Even as channel options and delivery systems expanded, Gerbner insisted that the contents of television concentrated into a consistent set of messages. He proposed that television restricts choice because, as a mass medium, television must appeal to large, diverse audiences. Thus, even as choices of programming proliferate, the pattern of messages remains the same.
As a result, television will most likely cultivate similar perceptions of reality for very different people. He wanted to understand how the broad pattern of television messages impact public knowledge and influence collective perceptions. Media effects researchers often study the ways media violence impact aggressive behavior, but Gerbner and his colleagues had a different concern.
They suggested that people who viewed a great deal of television became fearful of the world, believing that crime and victimization were rampant. Research showed that lighter television viewers were more trusting and saw the world as less selfish and dangerous than heavy television viewers. As cultivation theory became more established, Gerbner and his colleagues refined it to better explain the influence of media by adding the ideas of mainstreaming and resonance in the s.
Mainstreaming happens when heavy television viewers who would otherwise hold very different views develop a homogenous view of the world. In other words, the attitudes of these divergent viewers all share a common, mainstream perspective that they cultivated through frequent exposure to the same television messages.
This provides a double dose of the message conveyed on television. For example, television messages about violence are likely to be especially resonant to an individual who lives in a city with a high crime rate. Between the television message and the real-life crime rate, cultivation effects will be amplified, enhancing the belief that the world is a mean and scary place.
While Gerbner focused his research on fictional television, more recently, scholars have expanded cultivation research into additional media, including video games , and different forms of television, like reality TV. In addition, the topics explored in cultivation research continue to expand. Studies have included the impact of media on perceptions of family, sex roles , sexuality, aging, mental health, the environment, science, minorities, and numerous other areas.
For example, one recent study explored the way heavy viewers of the reality TV shows 16 and Pregnant and Teen Mom perceive teenage parenthood. Another study found that television cultivates materialism and, as a result, people who watch more TV are less concerned about the environment.
Meanwhile, a third study found that general television viewing cultivated skepticism about science. However, because science is also sometimes portrayed as a cure-all on television, a competing perception of science as promising was also cultivated. They also deemed it likely to become personally involved in a violent incident. This was contrary to the control group that also consisted of students.
In the same six-month test period, they mainly watched non-action programmes. After this period, their world view was opposite to that of the first group.
And they had no negative perception of society and no fear of being involved in a violence profiled crime. Research also shows that heavy viewers are more willing to answer questions. Their answers match the messages or images that were most frequent or repeated on television.
Additionally, the Cultivation Theory is used to demonstrate the relationship between violence and television. For example, the theory could explain why children display violent behaviour after watching a lot of violent cartoons. The repeated exposure to violence on television reinforces the existing convictions that the world is a dangerous place. It also strengthens the perception that violence is a natural response to conflict situations. Throughout the years, television has offered a variety and wealth of ideas, assumptions and beliefs concerning a great range of social and cultural dynamics.
This leads to a clearly defined image that heavy viewers, among others, are shown. This constant exposure cultivates specific values, convictions, attitudes and desires in people and heavy viewers in particular. It shapes their perception of the world and eventually affects how they perceive others. This means the thought process and behaviour of people is driven by what they see.
Today, viewers place increasing trust in what they see on television, as well as on social media. Get Toolshero updates on new methods, models and theories! Join us. What do you think? What is your experience with the Cultivation Theory?
Do you recognize the practical explanation or do you have more additions? What type of television viewer are you? How to cite this article: Mulder, P. Your rating is more than welcome or share this article via Social media!
Vote count: 1. No votes so far! Be the first to rate this post. Many times the viewer is unaware the extent to which they absorb media, many times viewing themselves as moderate viewers when, in fact, they are heavy viewers.
The theory suggests that television and media possess a small but significant influence on the attitudes and beliefs of society about society. Those who absorb more media are those we are more influenced.
Theorists of this persuasion are best known for their study of television violence, a hotly debated, and beaten to death topic. However, there are many studies that expand beyond the study of violence to cover gender, demographics, cultural representations, and political attitudes among many others. The delta between those considered to be light viewers and heavy viewers is called the cultivation differential. This describes the extent to which an attitude on a particular topic is shaped by exposure to television.
We very briefly covered Cultivation Theory in an earlier post, give it a read if you are looking for a quick summary, otherwise keep reading for the super-longwinded version… Cultivation theory aka cultivation hypothesis, cultivation analysis was an a theory composed originally by G. London: Longman Chandler, D. Lecture notes: Cultivation theory. Gerbner, G. Living with television: The violence profile.
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