Cultivation Theory
Our readings for this week circle around the idea of “Cultivation Theory” developed by Gerbner and others, which is the theory that “looks at relationships between exposure to mass media and beliefs about the world” (Signorielli). Eventhough this theory was developed in the 60s it is a still prevalent topic to this day because of our constant exposure to the media.
The way this theory relates to my life is on watching many different types of television shows that I enjoy that also sometimes shapes how I perceive the world based on what is shown to me. For example, I watch a lot of crime TV shows across many diffrent networks and styles. One show that shaped my attitude and beliefs is Criminal Minds and how the behavioal analysis unit works, in this I thought that in real life people who have this job travel across the states to solve the murders that happen, but was shocked to find out that this isn’t actually what the job intals and the majority of it is sitting behind a desk working with cold cases. This is a way how watching this TV show over a prolong period of time shaped my beliefs on how FBI departments do their jobs.
The artifact that I pick for this week blog post comes from Buffy the Vampier Slayer and the episode called Tabula Rasa. In this episode, Willow cast a spell to make Tara and Buffy forget the troubles that they have faced but then takes a turn to where the whole group falls unconscious and wakes up with no memory of who they are. Once awoken they can only piece the puzzles of who they are based on what the clothes they had on as well as objects that linked them together, like when Giles and Anya think they are a married couple due to working at the magic shop together or how Buffy doesnt have any ID on her so she names her self Joan. The reason why I picked this is because when watching our lectures for this week, Professor Davis mentions the word Tabula Rasa in being a social construct because our minds are a blank slate where we form our thoughts and actions by our interactions and institutions.
Since we dont live in a world with magic and the ability to create a blank slate in our lives, we are conditioned to learning what we think and feel from what we view. Many aspects fall into how “Cultivation Theory” can affect our attitudes and beliefs due to what we watch on television. An article by L.J. Shrum titled “Cultivation Theory: Effects and Underlying Process” talks about the flaws within this theory in that with addition of cable television and additional networks, what we see is not longer controlled by the three major networks (ABC, CBS, NBC). Being able to have the ability to pick and choose what we want to watch can influence what we believe due to having the variety of TV programs.
Learning more about what the idea of “Cultivation Theory” is and how it applies to learning from a prolong exposure from certain types of TV shows has influenced my life and probably the lives of my classmates. Relating back to the examples above with the show Criminal Minds and the espoide Tabula Rasa prove that when we start with a blank slate to learn a subject we know nothing about, a lot of what we do know comes from what we view on TV. I dont think this will ever stop because now many TV progams and networks have age restrictions and certain “themes” of programs on their networks like PBS showing educational features.
To end on that note, I do see both the underlying messages and criticisms revolving around this theory and with it being formulated in the 1960s it would be interesting to see if there would be different results using data coming from the past few years and how our views change with the help from streaming services and networks.
