Applying the Cultivation Theory

One theory that I learned more about and grew an interest for during this class was cultivation theory. This theory was created by Hungarian journalist George Gerbner in the 1960’s. The cultivation theory ultimately shows how the media cultivates the minds of people. Gerbner performed a study on how violence can impact one’s thoughts and make them think the world is meaner and dangerous than it really is. After this evidence, he coined the term “The Mean World Syndrome.” Through heavy exposure to television, many will look at the world and believe that it is similar to the world they view on television. Gerbner’s theory may have only touched on television but is also shown in other forms of media as well and these forms include music and social media. Seeing videos and photos on your phone about crime and other acts nearby or even far way can easily make you perceive the world differently.

One example of a challenge we are currently facing is the violent attacks that have been made on Asian Americans. Due to former US president Donald Trump constantly labeling the Coronavirus as “China’s fault” and the “China virus”, many have been influenced by his message and decided to spew hate toward anyone who may look of Asian descent. This has caused an uproar of reports of hate incidents directed toward Asian Americans all around the world. The uproar caused for social media to stand up by making a hashtag called ‘#StopAsianHate’ to shed a light on the racism that has been spread during a time that should bring us together. I chose this challenge because it shows how hate seen in the media can cultivate someone into thinking that the world is very dangerous, especially for someone of Asian descent. However, by using media in a positive way we can bring forth change and bring out the good in this world.