Cultivation Theory - A1

Cultivation Theory 

Cultivation Theory, introduced by George Gerbner, suggests that repeated exposure to television over time can subtly ‘cultivate’ viewers’ perceptions of reality. George Gerbner and Larry Gross theorised that TV is a medium of the socialisation of most people into standardised roles and behaviours.

Key points:

• Suggests Television influences its audience to the extent that their world view and perceptions start reflecting what they repeatedly see meaning TV is considered to contribute independently to the way people perceive social reality and will have an effect on the audience’s attitudes and values. 
• Long term exposure to violent media makes the audience less likely to be shocked by the violence. Being less shocked by violence the audience may then be more likely to behave violently.
• The criticism of this theory is that screen violence is not the same as real violence. Many people have been exposed to screen murder and violence, but there is no evidence at all that this has led audiences to be less shocked by real killings and violence.

Mean World Syndrome

Mean World Syndrome is an assumption of cultivation theory, George Gerbner came up with the term to describe a phenomenon whereby violence-related content in television and film makes viewers believe that the world is more dangerous than it actually is.

People who watch a lot of violent television are more likely to believe that there are more murders etc. than there are in the real world.

How have standardized roles, behaviours and values been reinforced or challenged in the following media text? 

Media texts can affect the audience significantly as the exposure to media over long periods of time cultivates standardized roles and behaviours. In the following newspaper, the Daily Mail producers reinforce the normalized behaviours, attitudes, and beliefs by encoding negative meanings and connotations. The Tories who sided with the Labour Party, a centre-left political party in the UK, are addressed as ’self-consumed malcontents’. Their behaviour is considered rebellious, betraying others and pulling the rug under EU negotiators. The editors constantly call them rebels as the Daily Mail supports the British public’s decision to leave the EU. Though the elected members stood up for their views, challenged the standardized beliefs and voted for what they think is best for the country, their actions and values are reinforced in a negative way by the media text. The pro-Brexit editors use strong language and wording to criticize the MPs, which may influence the audience’s opinions and viewpoint of the Tory Remainers' ’treachery’. All in all, the newspaper producers impose values that they think are standardized heavily onto the front cover to exert influence over the readers’ beliefs, judgments, attitudes and behaviours.