Gerbner research

My extra reading has helped me develop a much clearer understanding of Gerbner’s cultivation theory and the ideas introduced in the chapter. The chapter explains Gerbner’s view that television has become a major influence on how people understand the world, and that repeated exposure to the same messages can gradually shape our attitudes. Through my additional reading, I understood more clearly how this influence builds up over time rather than happening all at once. The further reading also helped me understand why Gerbner believed television was especially powerful. It explained that TV is widely available, easy for everyone to understand, and uses realistic storytelling, which makes its messages feel familiar and believable. This supported what the chapter said about television creating a shared set of ideas that most people in society recognise, even if they don’t realise they are being influenced. Another thing my extra research helped me understand was the concept of “mean world syndrome.” The chapter mentions fear cultivation, but the extra reading made the idea more understandable by showing how constant exposure to violence on TV can make people think the world is more dangerous than it really is. This helped me see why Gerbner believed television had such a strong effect on people’s perceptions. Lookibg at critics of cultivation theory also added to my understanding. The chapter briefly brings up theorists like Stuart Hall and Henry Jenkins, and my further reading showed why they challenge Gerbner. They argue that audiences are active and interpret media differently, which helped me see that not everyone is influenced in the same way. This made me realise that cultivation theory doesn’t claim that all viewers will think the same thing, but that heavy exposure over time can still lead to shared beliefs in society. Overall, the extra reading gave me clearer explanations and examples of Gerbner’s ideas. It helped me understand why cultivation theory focuses on long-term effects and why television plays such a central role. This made the whole concept easier to follow and gave me a stronger understanding of how media can shape our view of the world.