How the media corroborates our opinions
One of the most frequently cited communication theories is George
Gerbner’s Cultivation Theory from 1976, which claims that people who
watch a lot of television are more likely to ‘cultivate’ the belief that
reality corresponds with what they are seeing on TV. He argued that
watching a lot of television changes our perception of reality and causes
anxiety.
The mass media – in the past film and TV, nowadays mostly games and
the Internet – confronts us with an exaggerated, stylized world. According
to Gerbner, those who consume a lot of media start to see the real world in
the way it is stylized on screen. Some examples: in everyday life we rarely
see a policeman with a drawn gun; in a crime drama, however, it is
standard. In reality we rarely see violence; on screen we see it all the time.
According to Gerbner, if we consume these kinds of on-screen images
over a long period of time, our perception of reality changes and we begin
to internalize it. Even if we don’t actually see any violence, we start to
believe the world is a violent place. And the more violent and frightening
images we see, the more anxious we become in our everyday lives.
So the media influences us. But to what extent? Does it mean, for
example, that excessively playing FPS (First Person Shooter) games will
cause the player to go on a killing spree? No, the media does not form our
opinions and beliefs, but it does reinforce them. So somebody who already
has violent fantasies will find affirmation for them online. But somebody
who coexists peacefully with others will not turn into a serial killer by
watching violent films several nights in a row.
It is important to remember that we prefer to watch things we enjoy – as
is demonstrated most clearly by the filter-bubble effect: on the Internet,
algorithms try to predict what information we will be looking for based on
our interests and opinions. That way there is little chance of being
convinced by a different opinion, because we are unlikely to be ‘served’
any alternative views. When it comes to decision making this kind of self-
confirming information proves a huge risk, as explained in the chapter on
‘Groupthink’.
The Cultivation Theory has been criticized for its lack of complexity.
Viewers are regarded as passive and easy to manipulate. If you are