Theory Log #5: Cultivation Theory
A Summary of Professor George Gerbner’s Cultivation Theory by Alyssa Maac
Before the internet takes its place in the limelight, there was television. More than 50 years since its invention, the television maintains a controversial presence in culture. People blame TV as the cause for a lot of occurring social problems. Some claim that TV viewing wastes time and lowers one’s IQ. Others say it’s partly to blame for the current health problems such as obesity, the rise in violence among adolescents and the deterioration of moral values. Fans of TV point to its usefulness in education and communication. Parents debate how much, if any, children should be allowed to watch. Therefore, it’s no surprise that one of the theories of mass communication—cultivation theory—examines television’s cumulative effects on human attitudes and behavior.
Cultivation theory (sometimes referred to as the cultivation hypothesis or cultivation analysis) was an approach developed by Professor George Gerbner, dean of the Annenberg School of Communications at the University of Pennsylvania. He began the 'Cultural Indicators' research project in the mid-1960s, to study whether and how watching television may influence viewers' ideas of what the everyday world is like. Cultivation theorists argue that television has long-term effects which are small, gradual, indirect but cumulative and significant. He compared television’s socializing force to that of religion, claiming that it defines social roles, standardizes behavior and homogenizes communities much like religion did in early human history.
Cultivation theory in its most basic form, suggests that television is responsible for shaping, or ‘cultivating’ viewers’ conceptions of social reality. The combined effect of massive television exposure by viewers over time subtly shapes the perception of social reality for individuals and, ultimately, for our culture as a whole. Gerbner argues that the mass media cultivate attitudes and values which are already present in a culture: the media maintain and propagate these values amongst members of a culture, thus binding it together. He has argued that television tends to cultivate middle-of-the-road political perspectives. Gerbner called this effect ‘mainstreaming’. Gerbner sorted television’s effects into two categories: first order and second order. The ‘first order’ effects are the general beliefs about the everyday world, such as the prevalence of violence; and the ‘second order’ effects are the specific attitudes, such as to law and order or to personal safety. There is also a distinction between two groups of television viewers: the heavy viewers and the light viewers. People who watch a lot of television, or the ‘heavy viewers’, are likely to be more influenced by the ways in which the world is framed by television programs than individuals who watch less, especially regarding topics of which the viewer has little first-hand experience. Light viewers may have more sources of information than heavy viewers. ‘Resonance’ describes the intensified effect on the audience when what people see on television is what they have experienced in life. This double dose of the televised message tends to amplify the cultivation effect. Also, because television portrays excessive amounts of violence, it can cause people to develop Mean World Syndrome, or the idea that the world is scarier than it really is.
Cultivation theory assumes the following assumptions: (1) Because television content is mass produced and occupies a central role in American culture, it is more influential than other forms of mass media; (2) TV does not cause or encourage violent behavior. Instead, it shapes people’s attitudes and beliefs about society and other people; (3) TV cultivates values and attitudes already present in the culture. It serves to reinforce the status quo, not challenge it; (4) viewing more than four hours of television a day can lead to Mean World Syndrome; (5) Television creates an alternate reality and it does not reflect reality.
The distinction in the degree of cultivation between various television viewers is known as the cultivation differential. A heavy viewer of reality shows, for instance, is likely to think that people are largely competitive and self-centered, while a light viewer may perceive people to be more helpful and friendly. Several factors can influence the degree of cultivation: (1) the amount of television watched –heavy viewers are more influenced than light viewers; (2) current environment – viewers who live in dangerous neighborhoods are more susceptible to Mean World Syndrome; (3) gender – women are more likely to experience Mean World Syndrome since women are overwhelmingly portrayed as victims on TV; (4) watching alone or with others – viewing television with others increases the chance of discussion, thus reducing cultivation’s effects. Watching alone increases the chance of cultivation; (5) level of familiarity with the situation portrayed – people who lack first-hand knowledge of reality depend on television to inform them, which makes cultivation likely to occur; (6) age – young children who cannot comprehend motives or consequences as shown on TV are less likely to experience cultivation. Some have argued that education, ethnicity and income level also play a part in the cultivation differential, but cultivation theorists claim that the amount of television watched overrides such factors.
Researchers have documented some common indicators of cultivation among heavy TV viewers, such as the following: (1) exaggerated fear of becoming the victim of a crime; (2) general suspicion of people and their motives; (3) inflated perception of police activity.
An example of the cultivation theory is the drug elimination that is currently happening in the Philippines. People who watch television are aware that there were a lot of people who got killed because of drugs. Some of them were killed without even saying a word; and some of them are killed not by the police’s hands. People who watch television know this information and thus created fear made them cautious. Almost everyone now is assumed as a victim. Now, many people believe that the world is a corrupt and a violent place.
Resources:
https://masscommtheory.com/theory-overviews/cultivation-theory/
https://www.utwente.nl/cw/theorieenoverzicht/Theory%20Clusters/Mass%20Media/Cultivation_Theory/
http://communicationtheory.org/cultivation-theory/
http://www.uky.edu/~drlane/capstone/mass/cultivation.htm
http://www.communicationstudies.com/communication-theories/cultivation-theory
http://www.slideshare.net/dawnhoang/cultivation-theory-8787973