Media Violence: The Cultivation Theory In Real Life

Whether people choose to consume massive amounts of television, or simply witness acts in everyday life, people are constantly tormented and cultivated by their surroundings. The Cultivation Theory takes stakes in everyone’s lives, unknowingly, people accept the terms of this binding contract. Advertisement of violence is constantly surging through the media and tainting perceptions of reality in the minds of both heavy and light viewers. Research over a span of time has provided a reason for this change in perception and found an answer through The Cultivation Theory. While numerous studies have been executed, another remains and will be discussed toward the end of this exploration of the theory. To completely understand this theory, mass

Those in movies and television shows are more likely to encounter violence than what people are in real life. Violence on television and exaggerated ideas of actual crime have been connected, as have the role of crime enforcement in these acts of violence. As a result of this fear of violence due to television exposure, the term “mean world syndrome” was coined. The consumption of violence through television has caused a fear of others, and constant on-edge feeling for many viewers. Long-term exposure has causes an image of mean and dangerous people outnumbering altruistic, harmless, and nonviolent (Bryant & Zillmann, 2002). In the film The Mean World Syndrome: Media Violence & the Cultivation of Fear, Gerbner and his coworker Michael Morgan explain the mean world syndrome and what exactly the phrase means. In the film, Morgan explains that children see about 200,000 acts of violence during adolescence. These acts are featured on television shows, movies, video games, and news channels making the violence industry an important stable in entertainment. Gerbner claims that people oftentimes seal themselves away and avoid meeting those who differ from themselves (Gerbner & Morgan, and Earp,