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George Gerbner

Cultivation Theory

  • People adapting, over time, to view reality as it is shown on television.

How Cultivation Works

(Morgan & Shanahan, 2010; Potter, 2014; Riddle, 2010)

  • Accessibility Principle: people rely on bits of information that come quickly to mind when making judgements. â€‹â€‹â€‹â€‹â€‹â€‹â€‹â€‹â€‹â€‹

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  • Mainstreaming: the process of blurring, blending, and bending information.

    • This is experienced by heavy TV users after constant exposure to the same images and labels.  

"TV (Master)"
3 Approaches to Analyzing Media 

(Potter, 2014)

  1. Institutional Analysis
  • 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)

European Restaurant
Office
3. Cultivation Analysis 
  • 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 â€‹(Potter, 2014)

2. Mass-Produced Meanings
  • 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)

Example of Cultivation 
The American Dream 
  • In the 1950's, American families were raised to believe that success and happiness came in the form of the ideal American household

    • 2.5 kids, white picket fences,  a house located in the suburbs​

  • Suburban housing increased dramatically from 1945-1950 â€‹

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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"
  • 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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