Key Theory 16 - George Gerbner - Cultivation Theory

Key Theory 16 - George Gerbner - Cultivation Theory

 Cultivations Theory: "The idea that prolonged and heavy exposure to [TV]... cultivates" , as in grows or develops in audiences "a view of the world consistent with the dominant or majority view expounded by television."

Outline of Cultivation Theory:
Television (and by extension other tools of mass media distributions) present a mainstream view of culture, ignoring everything else. In doing so, television (etc) distorts reality. Heavy television users are therefore likely to accept this edited and distorted view of reality.

Issues with the Cultivation Theory:
Not everyone watches excessive amounts of television.
While this theory may have been useful in the 1970s, with only three channels, the ridiculous amount of ways that we have of accessing media now challenges the idea that any ideology can be mainstream. The theory is less relevant now.

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