Communication Theory Development: Cultivation Theory - Essay Example

? Communication Theory Development: Cultivation Theory Communication Theory Development: Cultivation Theory In a modern world, themedia has become a major way of communication of culture and knowledge. Although there are numerous media types such as internet, print media etc, television still is the most broadly used form of media, especially due to the fact it is accessible by all types and ages of people. Television has affected the way people regard reality because of a number of reasons. In this paper, it will be clearly shown why television is shaping reality for more people and why in particular, spending too much time in from of the television will determine how one views reality. Cultivation theory According to Gerbner (1969), television determines how a person looks at society. Television is broadly accessible to all people. Moreover, as Gerbner (1969) says, television is becoming very powerful because it is seen as a part of modern living and personal lifestyle. Unlike other types of media, television is one media of mass communication that is accessible to people right from childhood (Bryant & Zillmann, 2002). In this case, the television becomes the main way that people have acquired information, both general information and cultural reality. In this regard, as people grow old, television becomes a major part of determining how they view things. Reality is based on the general information that people gather while growing up. Because of this, it can be said that a person’s reality is based on the information they have gathered over time, whether in a formal or an informal way. A child in Africa who has no television may have a completely different view of reality from one in the United States. In the developed world, television has become the centre of cultural learning. Cultural artefacts are learnt through television. Television is a perfection of the society. Because most of the programs in television are fiction acted out by a well directed model, it creates the perfect world for individuals. The role of television in the modern developed world can be best understood by looking at the way culture was passed on before mass media. Cultural festivals were important in every society as a way to hand down important cultures. In this case, the cultural festivals and other cultural norms passed down from the older generation acted as a way to create a reality for the society. It is important to note that even in early days before the arrival of modern mass media most of the cultural reality was created with the intention to achieve something. Modern television may be geared towards cultivating a reality that will promote consumerism to the benefit of the corporate world (Gerbner, et al., 1986). In the past, these perceived realities were created as a way to preserve the society and make people easy to govern. Looking at television, one can identify that television is just a modern extension of the tradition ways of passing on reality to the society. Before television, society created reality by telling specific stories which were told to children since they were young and this created a reality for them. There has not been much change about this due to a number of reasons. First, a look at television shows that deletions is used to tell (factious) stories which are bent towards changing the way an individual thinks about reality (Paisley & Stone). This is why over fifty percent of American believes that there are aliens who have visited this plant with UFOs despite there being no scientific evidence of such events. Violent TV shows There has been a greater debate ion how violent television shows affects an individual, especially young adults. This debate is very important because it has very serious implications. Most people still believe that the various grass incidences of mass shootings in public schools and other public places by young adults has been caused by violent video games. So the question that every person should be answering is whether these people who have done these things have done them because of the effect of these violent shows. An interesting thing to note here is the fact that these people really do have issues with regard to the violent media. However, it is not easy to determine whether these young adults end up committing the heinous crimes due to having watched these violent television shows or they watched the television shows because they were inherently violent. There is one thing that is not debatable though; the human brain is marvellously a programmable machine. This machine is programmed through feeding of information over time. Graphic information is likely to achieve the following in changing the way an individual thinks; Desensitising the individual Regardless of the nature and source of information, it reformats the way people look at issues (Bryant & Zillmann, 2002). Whether information is presented in a formal or information way, it will always end up changing the way the recipient looks at the issues affected by the particular information. Because of this, it is necessary that television is a very powerful source of information. As one spends more time in front of a television, they are feeding their minds with a lot of information which will gradually change the way they look at issues. For instance, a close look at modern television shows may indicate a major paradigm shift with regard to homosexuality. By presenting the issue of homosexuality in a lighter and more forging way, it is possible to lure those who have negative (unaccommodating) views on homosexuality. This kind of information delivery then makes it possible for the viewers to start reconsidering their positions in certain subjects and issues. Whether the information presented in the television is correct or not, true or false, the individual watching the television will be affected by the information. Worse, still, most people tend to take television at face value and even in cases where false information is given, the individual is not likely to verify. This kind of attitude towards television makes television a very powerful tool to change the way people think about things (Dant, 2012). Most people trust their television more than they trust their doctor and this means that television will definitely affect their thinking. As they input this information and consume tit to create and recreate the reality around them, it affects the way they perceive the world around them. Inciting the individual Television is a very strong media for incitement, whether to an individual or to a collective group of people. This makes governments to be wary of irresponsible media houses because they realise the power that these media houses have. Against, the concept in this case is the fact that people have probably more trust on the information they get from television that they should probably have. Television can incite people, whether negatively or positively (Dant, 2012). There is one reason why incitement through the television is very important. The first is the celebrity factor. It is not just the information given by the television, it also about the way and who delivers this information. With television comes with celebrities, and celebrities take a special place not only in society but also people’s hearts. Celebrities have a lot of influence on the people as well as moral authority. This kind of moral authority means that their fans are more likely to believe the things they portray in the media. As Dant (2012) postulates, moral authority that these celebrities have, combined with the perfectionism of the television is a good ingredient to determine the way people think. Television comes with the power of information and television has a monopoly on information. In other words, television provides to the people information that is otherwise inaccessible. This not only makes television to look powerful and authoritative in regard to information. Conclusion It is very clear that television is a powerful tool for determining how people regard to reality. From ideas on how a perfect romantic date should be to more serious issues like political views operating its business, the media is a source of information both fictions and real, both informal and formal, realistic and unrealistic. The fact that the human mind is a programmable machine makes it easier for television to be a very strong factor in determining how television will affect the way people think and the way they perceive reality. Information acquired from the television is important in programming the individuals mind and allowing them to create a specific reality with regard to various issues in their society. The celebrity factor also adds to this issue due to the fact that televisions is the home for celebrities and this makes it possible to have a way enforce information to the fans of these celebrities. In a nutshell, the power of television, the accessibility of television, the celebrity factor all come together to determine how those who watch television look at things. Whether the abstract issues of the not so abstract issues, the television becomes a major source of cultural information which then people use to form their thinking thus creating a different reality for the individual. In this kind of arrangement, it is necessary for media houses to be careful in terms of the content they deliver in the knowledge that what they air is going to be fundamental in determining how people think about various issues. References: Bryant, J. A. (2002). Media Effects: Advances in Theory and Research. London: Routledge. Dant, T. (2012). Television and the Moral Imaginary: Society Through the Small Screen. London: Palgrave Macmillan. Gerbner, G. (1969). Toward ‘cultural indicators’: The analysis of mass mediated messages systems. New York: John Wiley. Gerbner, G., et al. (1986). Living with television: The dynamics of the cultivation process. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. Read More