Cultivation Theory

1. RUNNING HEADER: Cultivation Theory
Cultivation Theory and the Mean World
James B. Leach V
Western Oregon University

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Cultivation Theory and the Mean World
According to cultivation theory, the more time that people spend in the television world, the
more likely these people are to believe social reality aligns with the reality of the media
(Gerbner, 1998). Essentially, this theory argues that the more time someone watches television,
the more likely they will believe what they are viewing is an accurate depiction of the world
around them (Busselle & Van den Bulck, 2019). George Gerbner was Dean of the Annenberg
School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania from 1964-1989. Gerbner later
moved on to become a professor at Temple University in the 1990’s where he taught and held his
research studies in telecommunication. While at Temple University, Gerbner founded a theory
known as the cultivation theory. Cultivation theory suggests that prolonged watching of any type
of television can induce a paradigm about the world around the viewer (Gerbner, 1998). From
the Oxford Dictionary (2019), a paradigm is when a standard pattern is set into place through
repetition, almost as if it is reality. With higher consumption of television and mass media in
modern times, it is more likely that an individual will believe what they are consuming while
viewing the news or television (Gerbner, 1998). Grebner asserts that as consumers of television,
it is difficult for most to determine fact from fiction at first glance.
The world around us is one that can easily be misconceived through the eyes of the
media. Mass media is driven off ratings and relevant information, a popularity contest some may
say (Vinney, Dill-Shackleford, Plante & Bartsch, 2019). Often this means that acts of violence,
terror, and aggression are streamed on popular media outlets. Individuals who consume a high
rate of negative media coverage can develop an altered view of the world around them; this can
develop into what is known as Mean World Syndrome. Mean World Syndrome is a term that
comes from Gerbner’s (1979) cultivation theory. According to Busselle and Van den Bulck

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(2019), cultivation theory proposes that repetitive exposure to general media over time impacts
people's perception of reality. This is where the term Mean World Syndrome comes into play, in
that individuals will view the world around them as a mean and violent place due to repeated
exposure to mean and violent messages.
Mean World Syndrome is brought about by watching too much violent television or
viewing a large amount of negative mass media. This has created a real impact on society;
particularly how society views the violence in the world around them and modern day racism
and sexism. According to Gerbner, Gross, Signorielle, Morgan, and Jackson-Beeck (1979), “…
by the time the average American child graduates from high school, he or she will have seen
more than 13,000, violent deaths on television” (p. 181). In short, this normalizes violence in
individuals ages 15 to 18. Since this study was released, use of technology and the internet has
only become more accessible and in the hands more frequently of younger people, meaning that
an individual will be able to view mass media and social media more often, developing habits
and cultivating a paradigm of the world around them. According to Ropeik (2012) there are
thousands of movies that normalize violence, news reports that dramatically overemphasize
violence and risk, all of which are depicting the world as a far more threatening place than it is.
These movies and shows capture our attention because we are sensitive to anything that might
threaten us (Ropeik, 2012). With the amount of violence that is shown and portrayed in the world
of mass media it gives a negative connotation of the world around us.
The remainder of this paper will argue that individuals need to be more digitally literate
when it comes to what is being viewed or read through mass media outlets. This paper will
compare various articles and points of view about cultivation theory and Mean World Syndrome.
Ultimately, I argue that in a world filled with mass media, social media, and various news

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outlets, people need to be more aware of the ways in which media can manipulate messages,
which has paved the way for people to grow up with an altered view of the world around them.
As Ropeik (2012) states, sometimes in trying to protect ourselves against the threats of a violent
and threatening mean world, we end up as the victims we are trying not to become.
Cultivation Theory
Cultivation theory is based around repetition and the consumption of mass media.
Whether that is through watching the news, social media, or a Google search, the more
frequently something is done the more accepted it becomes (Gerbner, 1998). Over-stimulation of
negative information on a repetitive basis has viewers starting to change their thoughts on the
world around them reinforcing what is known as the Mean World Syndrome. According to
Mosharafa (2015), people who spend extended periods of time watching television, where
violence is presented, suffer from mean world syndrome. They form an altered perception of the
world around them as mean and dangerous.
Cultivation theory began with a study of television viewers in the 1960’s, but researchers
such as Gerbner et al. (1979) have since started to consider the use of social media in modern
times. According to Vinney et al. (2019), Gerbner proposed that over time, repeated exposure to
media cultivated the belief that the messages conveyed by the media apply to the real world. As
people’s perceptions are shaped by media exposure, their beliefs, values, and attitudes are shaped
as well. In other words, Vinney et al. (2019) describe television as the same as telling a story.
When individuals are young, often stories are read to them and they may believe these stories or
start to form a view of life around them.

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Cultivation theory is driven off this same concept. Mass media and television draw
viewers by telling a story of what is going on in the local community as well as the world
(Vinney et al., 2019). After a certain time-frame and amount of consumption, these stories about
the world start to turn into beliefs, attitudes, and values. These views can shape who individuals
are as people and how they see the world. A good example of varying views of the world comes
from Akil (2010). “As a child I knew that my grandmother and I perceived the world differently.
As she grew older and became more homebound that difference expanded even more. She
viewed the 'world' as more violent, corrupt and unsafe. It was reflected in her advice” (pg. 34).
What Akil is saying is that as her grandmother grew older and social media and mass media
became more prevalent, her grandmother's advice became more cautious. Akil’s grandmother did
not have quality digital literacy skills, which in turn made her fearful of the world around her.
Since Akil’s grandmother was not getting out and seeing the world for herself, she only knew
what she saw on TV. Her grandmother had formed a paradigm about the world around her, as
mentioned by Gerbner (1998).
Algorithms and Mean World Syndrome
Algorithms use search popularity to bring relevant searches to the forefront, meaning
individuals performing the searches are the ones who need to take a stand (Nobel, 2018).
Common thinking is that algorithms and the purpose behind relevant searches are to benefit
society. On the other hand, there is plenty of evidence that indicates the reason for platforms
using algorithms is for profit and profit only. According Noble (2018) in Algorithms of
Oppression, platforms such as FreePress.org are bringing rise to the commercial sector and
advertisements have bankrupted the quality of information on the internet. Noble’s example of
FreePress.org is a platform that allows users to post any information that they want without it

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being credible or valid. It is an open website that can be accessed by anyone. Scholarly journals
such as Education Resources Information Center and Academia are both reliable sources of
information that have started to move in the direction of private web sources (Noble, 2018).
This brings up a major downfall to algorithms in the fact that they are driving out valid
and reliable sources for people to gather information, giving control to mass media and television
outlets that do not cost an extra fee to view. The result gives the impression that the world is
mean and deceptive for individuals who consume a considerable amount of media through the
internet. If information that is reliable and valid is being pushed aside, then it is going to be
difficult to stay digitally literate. When it comes to recognizing what is media’s version of reality
and being able to establish one’s own beliefs it is going to require a more conscious effort
(Noble, 2018). Individuals are more likely to hold unrealistic views of the world due to the
repetitive exposure to mass media outlets and the algorithmic relevant searches that are used to
gather and produce information. Digital literacy is crucial when it comes to deciphering one’s
own view on reality.
Media’s Version of Reality
Every individual has various elements of their lives that are important to them, that may
not be important to others. Everyone's view on what reality is may be different due to their
culture, demographics, family tradition, values, or beliefs. According to Busselle and Van den
Bulck (2019), one major aspect of life that most individuals have in common is television and
the use of technology to find out what is going on within their local community or the world
around them. This is where we are all connected, to some degree, by cultivation theory and what
is known as the Mean World Syndrome. Media, such as Twitter, Facebook, CNN, and Fox News

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hold their own view of what reality is (Busselle & Van den Bulck, 2019). It is up to the viewer of
the content to determine whether they too are going to take on the media’s view of the world
around them or do further research into the topic at hand.
This is where mass media and algorithmic search engines are pushing out reliable
information to the private market. When it comes to a quick search for information, most people
are not going to pay a subscription when there is also free information (Morgan & Shanahan
2010). According to Gerbner et al. (1979), the longer society lives with television, the more
invisible it becomes. As the number of people who have never lived without television continues
to grow, the medium is increasingly taken for granted as an appliance, a piece of furniture, a
storyteller, or a member of the family (Gerbner, et al., 1979). The further into the 21st century
that we get, the more common mass media and television is. Society often will go straight to
viewing and talking about what is being shared on mass media outlets prior to checking the
validity of a story. Television is something not of privilege but that is common and part of 21st
century society. The next step is to become digitally literate when it comes to viewing and
receiving information that is gathered through mass media outlets.
Digital Literacy
Literacy is a term that is often thought to be knowing how to read and write, although in
the modern day of the internet and mass media it has come to mean much more than that
(Buckingham, 2015). According to Buckingham, digital literacy is simply defined as the
fundamental skills to understand and critically approach digital media. People have to be able to
understand that the media offers a particular selection of information that may be skewed slightly
in one direction or the other based on who is reporting it. Being skilled in terms of digital literacy
means deciphering complex images, sounds, and the use of subtle words (Lankshear & Knobel,

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2016). Individuals who are digitally literate are quick to move from one medium of writing to
another. They know various kinds of expressions and can match them with the appropriate
medium of information. Being able to read over various media outlets and decode the
information that is being presented helps individuals in terms of distinguishing media’s reality
versus their own reality.
According to Buckingham (2015), there are four key digital literacy competencies:
knowledge assembly, evaluating information content, searching the Internet, and navigating
hypertext. All four of these are skills that will help to debunk information within the media and
allow individuals to understand what information is being shared, as well as give the reader the
skills to make their own assumptions of reality. These four digital literacy competencies allow
readers to make their own reality through evaluating reliability and validity of the data or
information that is being shared. According to Lankshear and Knobel (2016), digital literacy is
about interacting with the information being presented. It involves assessing the truth of the
medium being shared. It is the job of the reader or consumer of the information to determine the
difference between information that is valid and credible, or information that is not. These digital
literacy skills will help the reader to determine social reality versus media's version of reality.
Conclusion
Too often people believe what they see online, on television, or in a magazine and do not
conduct any further research to determine their own understanding of information or what is
going on in the news. Individuals have been restricted in part because of scholarly articles and
reliable information moving to the private sector of platforms. Because they are unwilling to pay
to access articles behind paywalls, people are consuming more information that is not reliable,
and that is leading to a false reality of the world around us. Mass media forms a paradigm of how

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individuals view the world that they live in, a violent and threatening place, whether that is the
community or an overall view of the world. Cultivation theory and Mean World Syndrome both
have been driven by algorithms through the increase in mass media, social media, and
technology use in general. Television and the world of mass media are going to continue to
exploit the consumer until the consumer does something to change the current trend. The
consumer needs to take a stand and be more cognitively aware of what they are viewing on
television and mass media. Mass media is creating a trap of getting people to believe what they
are seeing through repetition and relevance. Cultivation theory and Mean World Syndrome are
concepts that need to be discussed at a young age with individuals and in schools. People need to
understand the basics of how mass media works, how news is portrayed, and how algorithms and
relevant searches work. By educating people on these topics we are giving them the tools to see
the world around them accurately, and to become digital literate users of the internet and mass
media.

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References
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