(The following is a short post by WVU Communication Studies MA student Melissa Ceo, in reflection of our earlier class on media violence research)
Gerbner and Gross developed Cultivation Theory to explain the effects that television viewing has on the general population. The basic form of the theory suggests that exposure the television’s singular messages helps develop viewer’s perceptions of reality. The main premise of the theory is that those viewers who spend more time watching television will be most likely to view the world through the “lens” of television’s repetitive messages.
The researchers also introduce the concepts of mainstreaming and resonance. Mainstreaming refers to the “blending” effect that happens when viewers adopt an outlook more consistent with the messages they receive when watching television, while resonance refers to the cases when what is viewed on television actually happens in real life. Most Cultivation Theory research examines the effects of media violence on the wider population. Although the Cultivation Theory has been widely studied, it has also fallen under criticism in recent years. The main criticism that has been identified is a lack in the presence of cognition. Cultivation Theory does not account for the role that human thought plays in the effectiveness of media messages. Another broad criticism of the theory is the possible lack of a single media message. What role does Cultivation Theory play in New New Media? Does it play a significant role?
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