Cultivation Theory Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Cultivation Theory - Term Paper Example It is one of the social theories of mass communication that postulate a kind of relationship between the mass communication and social changes recorded in the community (Aggarwal & Gupta, 2001, p.35). The media reports that appear to have been influenced in some way will give an image that is not typical of the real scenario. For instance, a series of television shows on sexual immorality in a given city may provide a negative image of the city to the public. A series of reports on the corrupt acts by a given company definitely reduces the reputation of the organization among the public. On the other hand, providing only the positive aspects of a given issue by the media houses is also likely to provide a false positive image on the public concerning this issue. The best approach is then to provide balanced and uninfluenced reports by the media houses. Using the skills required in public relations will enable the media houses to provide balanced information that is necessary for deve loping a true picture. Both the negative and positive aspects of a concept should be focused as they occur in the real setting. Thesis Statement Based on the Cultivation Theory, the reports by the media houses can create images on the public that are not typical of the real situation. ... The developments that were put into the theory during this original spot are also examined as well as the current application of the theory in the field of mass communication. Origin of Cultivation Theory The Cultivation theory, also known as the cultivation hypothesis or the cultivation analysis can be traced back to the 1960s and attributed to the research by Professor George Gerbner of Annenberg School of Communication, Pennsylvania University. He focused on the effects of different television programs on the perception of a given concept in a given society (Erlandson, Williams & Telles, 2009). The research project that was referred to as â€Å"Cultural Indicators† investigated into the impacts of media operation on the social life of the public. An analysis of the contents of television programs and their effects on the public led to a generalization of the theory that how the society perceive the reality of a concept is greatly influenced by the programs and reports provi ded by television. The theory developed in 1967 is ‘based on the assumption that mass media have subtle effects on audiences who unknowingly absorb the dominant symbols, images, and messages of the media’ (Aggarwal & Gupta, 2001, p.35). In his investigations, Gerbner divided the audiences under the study into three distinct groups based on the duration that the individuals spent while watching television. He found out that even those who spent long periods watching TV programs were not immediately influenced by the programs. However, it was observed that this long exposure to television broadcasts had long-term effect on the individual perception of reality. The individuals tend to be inclined towards the models provided by the