On page 431 of our textbook, the authors begin explaining cultivation perspective. They write, “it proposes far-reaching influences of the medium on virtually all aspects of audience perceptions and attitudes” and that George Gerbner and colleagues have found that “television has become the ‘common storyteller of our age,’ providing our diversified society with consistent and repeated messages and images” (page 432).
The authors continue by saying that Gerbner predicted that heavier television exposure will “cultivate perceptions or beliefs about social reality that are more consistent with the ‘television view’ than with the ‘real-world’ view.”
How might the idea of television as a “storyteller” and the idea of television exposure cultivating perceptions and beliefs about social reality create complications in day-to-day life? Think of a time when you have or someone you know has been exposed to consistent and repeated messages and images and used television as a storyteller to create a social reality. (The example does not have to come from the news media, but can come from pop culture television shows as well.)
The idea of television as a storyteller that creates a social reality does create complications in day-to-day life. For example, I like to watch episodes of CSI and Law and Order. I have noticed that after I watch an episode of one of these shows, I tend to get scared easily. I start to think someone is watching me or sitting in the dark corner ready to jump out and kill me. Even walking outside at night scares me after I watch these shows. I start to think people I don’t know are killers waiting to attack me. I know it is silly, but if I watch a lot of these shows I tend to be more scared of my surroundings.
ReplyDeleteWhether we understand it or not, the media does affect our view of reality. Just as I explained, when I watched shows with a lot of violence I automatically assumed everything around me was evil and wanting to kill me. Gerbner states that television is the storyteller giving us constant and repeated messages. If someone watches mostly crime shows, they will be getting the constant message that violence is much higher than it actually is in reality. In this case, the television is distorting our view of reality.
The idea of storyteller of television that that exposes cultivation about social reality creates complications in day-to-day life. According to text, “heavier exposure to television content overall will cultivate perception or beliefs about social reality that are more consistent with the ‘television view’ than with the ‘real-world’ view.” I think that not only televisions but music videos or movies have the same effect on people.
ReplyDeleteI love watching action movies, and every time after I watch it I begin to have thoughts in my head. For example, Wanted was a great drama and action movie; it is about travelers being kidnap in a foreign country. After watching it, I began to be more caution when I walk outside at night, and being even more silent when I meet strangers. Once I started to walk faster when I notice someone was behind me who was just walking the same way.
I think that the media does influence people with their perception whether we know or not, it is unavoidable, just like people are influenced by others opinions.
oh sorry I meant Taken
ReplyDeleteThe cultivation perspective, I believe, is a realistic hypothesis that can be applied to today’s society. For my communication analysis class, I studied this perspective as I my paper topic was how television and films that have vulgar content are negatively affecting adolescents today that watch these types of programming. Therefore, after researching for this project, I definitely saw how television exposure cultivating perceptions and beliefs about social reality can create complications in day-to-day life. Much of my research that I found, showed that from young teenagers viewing sexual material where boys and girls around their same age were put in such situations, they too believed that this was they should be doing and began living out their lives like these types of television shows and films. Therefore, in today’s society we are seeing an increase in teen pregnancies and a rise in sexually transmitted diseases among young teenagers.
ReplyDeleteAn example of the cultivation perspective is from when I nannied for a young boy and his older 13-year-old sister for a week. I ended up having to watch a lot of her shows, a.k.a the typical Hannah Montana shows. I noticed that how this girl I was watching dresses and how she talked coincided a lot with how the characters on these shows acted. Therefore, she was building a social reality from her television shows that she watches on a regular basis.
According to Public Opinion, Lippmann stated that media give us pictures and representations of the outside world that we ourselves do not directly experience (p. 410). The authors also mention Harold Lasswell’s three key functions of communication from societies (which I believe are exemplified by the media); 1. Surveillance (print and electronic media help the people of the world keep each other informed on what is going on in the world), 2. Correlation (keeping people in touch to what other people around the world are thinking and how certain events are being interpreted), and 3. Transmission (passing beliefs and norms of culture on to future generations).
ReplyDeleteThe first two functions show why television as a storyteller is not a bad thing—without television and other media to tell us the story of what is going in the world, we most likely do not know what is going on in other countries around the world. I do agree that television’s role as a storyteller may cause viewers to be exposed to, “consistent and repeated messages;” causing people to believe or act a certain way, but as previously stated, we can’t possibly know much through firsthand experience—we need the media to tell us what is going on around the world.
One example in my life is images of the Iraq war. I feel that I have been exposed to consistent messages (not necessarily pictures, because the American media tends to shy away from pictures) about the war that have definitely shaped my perception of the “reality” of what is going on in the war. However, without the media to tell me what is going on in Iraq, I would have no idea of what was going on. It would be dangerous and unfeasible for me to travel to Iraq to see firsthand what events are occurring.
I completely believe that television creates cultivating perceptions and beliefs about social reality in day-to-day life! Television shows become a addiction to some people. They consume their lives in the story line and soon they believe they are the character on the show.
ReplyDeleteI have the PERFECT example for this! My old roommate is obsessed with MTVs hit reality show "The Hills." She owns all the seasons on DVD, if a fan on Facebook, buys gossip magazines with their stories and frequently visits MTVs website to look for Hills stars updates. This all stared happening our Freshman year after Laguna Beach ended and Lauran Conrad adventured off to the big city of LA and created her own show, The Hills. I soon started to notice that after every Monday night episode, for the next day whatever Lauren dressed like, did her hair like, whatever accessories she wore, my roommate did the exact same thing when she went to class. If Lauren died her hair, she would too. If she got a haircut, she did too. If she painted her nails orange, she did too. I think you get the point. And the drama that would consume this girls life was incredible. I the Hills they 100% believe if there isn't tons of drama in your life, then life itself wasn't worth living. My roommate had the same idea. Every story she told was major drama. If the was a small incident, she would blow it up 60 times more to make it worst then it was.
I know that this craze of how people are acting on TV is huge for young people right now, but for a college age 21 year old. I think it can be much.
This shows really do scare me about what middle school and high school girls are going to turn out like. I know that there is always drama when you're young, but these show have made it become a little much. It all started with Laguna Beach and spoiled little rich kids that are mad because their dad wouldn't buy them a new BMW. Then MTV started playing My Super Sweet Sixteen which is about spoiled kids getting a celebrity style birthday party that cost thousands of dollars. Now normal young people think they need to do things like that too. Then the Hills stared and I already got to that point. I feel like I am 50 talking about how what young people are watching is corrupting their minds, but i really think it is.