The cultivation theory helps me to better understand the idea that what people view on television effects their actions in everyday life and how the media influences the general publics views on what is considered “normal”.
What you view on TV or hear from the radio effects how you view certain things. The cultivation theory argues that exposure to mass media cultivates the actions of people. When a child plays video games that are violent, the media is cultivating their mind to believe that violence is okay. The media presents an idea to the public and they then decide if it is something normal. If the people believe it is normal than the cultivation theory was successful.
An example of the cultivation theory would be in the film Killing Us Softly when they discuss the way woman are displayed in the media. The idea that women are supposed to be sexy and promiscuous was created by the media. The cultivation theory was then put into place and people began to think that a beautiful woman was a size zero and perfect in every way possible. The media’s portrayal of a “sexy” woman is one of the main reasons why young girls are so worried about what they look like. They have been taught by outside sources that they must be thin in order to be beautiful. The awkward, self-conscience young teenage girl is a result of the cultivation theory.
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