Concepts
Cultivation Theory
Also Known As Cultivation analysis
Media Studies
Citation Formats
General Reference
APA Style
BibTeX
Cultivation theory holds that heavy television viewing gradually shapes a viewer's perception of social reality to align with patterns commonly depicted on television rather than with the world as it actually is. It was formulated by George Gerbner in 1973 as part of a broader Cultural Indicators research program. A later meta-analysis found a real but small relationship between viewing hours and distorted perception, and critics have questioned the direction of the causal arrow between heavy viewing and fear of crime and whether the theory adequately accounts for the lived experience of viewers who already live in high crime areas.
Facts
Concept Domain Formulated Year Sources
Dissenting Readings (1 dissenting reading)
Description
Rossmann argues there is little evidence that television viewing causes fear of violence, and that the causal relationship cultivation theory assumes may run in the opposite direction, with existing fear of crime driving heavier television viewing rather than heavy viewing producing the fear.
A dissenting reading, from Costanze RossmannWikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation
Reader Challenges (0 open reader challenges)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.
Sign in to dispute this or suggest a correction.
View At A Past Year
The atlas records no dated fact of its own for this entry, so there is no other year to choose.