JMC 1100 1st Edition Lecture 14 Media Uses and Effects. Cultivating your “Real” WorldMedia TodayI. One Direction blows up Spotifya. 769% increase in streaming after Zayn leavesII. Songs are media too…a. They affect us in similar waysStalagmite Theories EmergeI. Bandura= one of first to counter magic bullet theoriesII. Ex social learning theorya. Media effects build up over time called accumulated effectsb. Slowly media viewing can change our behaviors opinions and beliefs about the worldHow Effects Accumulate: A “Snarky” ExampleI. Snark- from snarky= to be critical or rude in a sarcastic wayII. First used in 1910 to counter the word smarm (excessive flattery or inauthentic joy) Snark RebornI. 2002- bloggers bring in the word back in a big way…for TV critiquea. Television without pity website (died in April 2014)II. Today the word has been CULTIVATED throughout societyCSI EffectI. Forensic evidence examples in media influence public perception and jury trials of what is possible in criminal scienceII. People expect us to have DNA back in 20 minutes it doesn’t happen that waya. Mike Murphy, coroner for Cook County, NV. And model for CSI Cultivation TheoryI. 1968- created by George Gerbnera. 3rd most used media theory todayII. TV shapes or “cultivates” viewers on perceptions of social realityIII. Long-term exposure to heavy TV content has a small, but perceptible, effects on the perceptions of the audience Foundation of Cultivation TheoryI. Gerbner believed that culture AND communication create our perceptions of reality. These notes represent a detailed interpretation of the professor’s lecture. GradeBuddy is best used as a supplement to your own notes, not as a substitute.a. “Culture is a system of messages and images that regulates and reproduces social relations”3 Assumptions of Cultivation Theory1. TV is Uniquea. Accessibleb. Easy to use and understandc. Uniform in delivering messages 2. TV Programs presented an unrealistic view of the worlda. Heavy focus on violence and crime in TV shows and TV news programs 3. There is a constant stream of violence and crimeII. Violent content in mediaa. 90% of movies have depictions in contentb. 68% of video gamesc. 60% of TV programs Why is this a big deaIII. Average American watches more than six hours of TV per daya. We check phones 9x per day for 1 hour at leastIV. Average 8- to 18- year olds watch more than 4 hours per daya. Most households have more TV’s than peoplei. Doesn’t include phones, computers, etcWhat it means: Negatives= ViolenceI. More than four hours of viewing leads to Mean World Syndromea. World more violence than reality would indicateII. Violence indexa. TV violence= 10x real-life violenceIII. Parents becoming desensitized. Why is this an issue?Cultivation effect= ResonanceI. TV content is close enough to real-life experiences to amplify cultivation effects in certain groups(double dose effectIrony can be pretty ironicII. Heavy viewersa. 30% of the population are police or law officersb. Real world= less than 10%Positives for cultivation in generalIII. Cigarettesa. Found: media smoking= desire for real smokingb. Tv/movies/ outdoor ads banc. U.S. Smokers:i. 1965 42%-- 2012= 18%IV. Equality: Gay Acceptancea. All in the Family (1970)b. Modern Family (2010)Cultivation effects: perceptionsI. TV Media reinforces general beliefs about the everyday worldII. Ex: College: Media RealityIII. Reality: stress, studying, lack of moneya. If no one talks about it, does it really exists? Perception vs. Environment vs. SelfI. Less Effective at informing us of things we know, like who you are as a personII. VERY Effective at informing us about things we don’t know, like societal behaviorIII. Creates unrealistic reality for viewersIV. Heavy users= greater fearsa. Victim of crimeb. Walking alone at nightc. People in generali. More mistrustii. Less willing to helpCultivation aspect: mainstreaming effectI. Heavy viewers from different subgroups develop similar outlooksII. True today? Depends on types of mediaa. Example: Fox News vs. Daily Show3 B’s of Cultivation1. Blurs: cultural, political, social, regional, and class-based distinctions for more “popular” versions2. Blends: viewers attitude with TV’s cultural mainstream3. Bends: mainstream attitudes toward the institutional interest of TV and its sponsors (Ex. NCAA Playoff)Criticism of Cultivation TheoryI. Relies on established viewing patterns, so can’t determine causalitya. Does TV viewing teach viewers about the world or confirm previous experiences?b. Cultivation is a long-term cumulative effect= difficult to test it easilyConclusionI. Researches focus on slow process of media effectsII. Cultivation Theory= TV (media) cultivate images that influence real world perceptionsIII. The less you watch, the less you are