Cultivation Theory
Cultivation Theory: Reality Versus Fiction
Cultivation theory is a social theory, which examines the long-term effects of television on American audiences of all ages. Developed by George Gerbner and Larry Gross of the University of Pennsylvania was the Cultural Indicator project, which was used to identify and track the 'cultivated ' effects of television on viewers.
At a very basic level, cultivation theory focuses on the role of the media in shaping how people perceive their social environment. Research in social psychology has highlighted many variables that can influence how people interpret their social environment, including attitudes, social norms, and accessible constructs (Higgins, 1996). So the idea that various psychological and sociological factors influence how people understand their social environment is well established. However, cultivation theory maintains that TV operates as the primary socializing agent in today’s world (Gerbner, Gross, Morgan, Signorielli, and Shanahan, 2002). In other words, the culture that people learn is influenced heavily by the culture portrayed on TV. This is especially so for heavy viewers of TV.
Cultivation theory suggests that the effects of television on users can be categorized in two groups: the first order effects and second order effects. First order effects refer to general view that one holds about life. Second order effect refers to the specific attitudes that one acquires as a result of exposure. Heavy viewing of television is perceived as ‘cultivating’ attitudes, which have high correlation to life presented on the television rather than the actual occurrences of everyday life. In other words, the more time a person spends watching television, the more likely he or she will believe in the social realities presented in the media. Television tends to create a general mentality about sexuality and violence, which in essence may induce such deviant behavior on the viewers.
Cultivation theory is a social theory, which examines the long-term effects of television on American audiences of all ages. Developed by George Gerbner and Larry Gross of the University of Pennsylvania was the Cultural Indicator project, which was used to identify and track the 'cultivated ' effects of television on viewers.
At a very basic level, cultivation theory focuses on the role of the media in shaping how people perceive their social environment. Research in social psychology has highlighted many variables that can influence how people interpret their social environment, including attitudes, social norms, and accessible constructs (Higgins, 1996). So the idea that various psychological and sociological factors influence how people understand their social environment is well established. However, cultivation theory maintains that TV operates as the primary socializing agent in today’s world (Gerbner, Gross, Morgan, Signorielli, and Shanahan, 2002). In other words, the culture that people learn is influenced heavily by the culture portrayed on TV. This is especially so for heavy viewers of TV.
Cultivation theory suggests that the effects of television on users can be categorized in two groups: the first order effects and second order effects. First order effects refer to general view that one holds about life. Second order effect refers to the specific attitudes that one acquires as a result of exposure. Heavy viewing of television is perceived as ‘cultivating’ attitudes, which have high correlation to life presented on the television rather than the actual occurrences of everyday life. In other words, the more time a person spends watching television, the more likely he or she will believe in the social realities presented in the media. Television tends to create a general mentality about sexuality and violence, which in essence may induce such deviant behavior on the viewers.
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