George Gerbner
Cultivation Theory
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People adapting, over time, to view reality as it is shown on television.
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Click to view article on Cultivation Theory.
How Cultivation Works
(Morgan & Shanahan, 2010; Potter, 2014; Riddle, 2010)
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Accessibility Principle: people rely on bits of information that come quickly to mind when making judgements. ​​​​​​​​​​
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Mainstreaming: the process of blurring, blending, and bending information.
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This is experienced by heavy TV users after constant exposure to the same images and labels.
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"TV (Master)"
3 Approaches to Analyzing Media
(Potter, 2014)
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Institutional Analysis
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Media messages create symbolic environments that reflect the ideologies of the institutions that send them
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Analyze by looking for rapid changes in society through the production of media messages (Potter, 2014)
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3. Cultivation Analysis
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Audiences integrate media messages into shared values, beliefs, and facts about existence
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Analyze by looking at long-term effects of reinforced messages on popular culture ​(Potter, 2014)
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2. Mass-Produced Meanings
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The recreation of common symbols produced across mass media environments
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Analyze by using the scientific method to identify common patterns in media messages​ (Potter, 2014)
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Example of Cultivation
The American Dream
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In the 1950's, American families were raised to believe that success and happiness came in the form of the ideal American household
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2.5 kids, white picket fences, a house located in the suburbs​
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Suburban housing increased dramatically from 1945-1950 ​
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This era was also known as "The Golden Age of Television" (Khan Academy)
"Influences of Media on America in the 1950's"
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Morgan, M., & Shanahan, J. (2010). The State of Cultivation. Journal Of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 54(2), 337- 355. doi:10.1080/08838151003735018
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Potter, W. J. (2014). A Critical Analysis of Cultivation Theory. Journal Of Communication, 64(6), 1015-1036. doi:10.1111/jcom.12128
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Riddle, K. (2010). Always on My Mind: Exploring How Frequent, Recent, and Vivid Television Portrayals Are Used in the Formation of Social Reality Judgments. Media Psychology, 13(2), 155-179. doi:10.1080/15213261003800140
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The growth of suburbia. (n.d.). Retrieved April 03, 2018, from https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/ap-us-history/period-8/apush-postwar-era/a/the-growth-of-suburbia