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Very young children increasingly use information and communication technologies (ICTs) in their home and educational environments. The study examined representations of ICT use in children's television content, which is a central socialization agent for this audience. Based on cultivation theory, an in-depth qualitative content analysis of television series for young children aired in Israel was conducted. Findings indicate that ICTs are depicted in this content as largely positive, promoting community connectedness and problem resolution, and as effective innovations for the dissemination of information. At the same time, these portrayals ignore common ICTs in children's lives (e.g. social media) as well as social and emotional aspects associated with ICTs in the real world (e.g. entertainment use). Promising themes in the representations—such as the promotion of free, intuitive, and successful use of ICTS—are coupled with findings that question the realism and relevance of these representations for young audiences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study focuses on the impact of audiovisual fiction on trust in institutions, drawing on cultivation theory and narrative persuasion research. We test the effects of audiovisual representation of security institutions’ effectiveness in fighting crime on perceived performance of security institutions, trust in democracy, political interest, and political optimism, mediated by just-world beliefs and narrative transportation. 130 students from Universidad de Salamanca (Spain) and Escuela Superior de Economía y Negocios (El Salvador) participated in the online experiment and were randomly assigned to two experimental conditions and exposed to one of two sequences from the series La Casa de Papel that differed in the degree of effectiveness (high versus low) with which security institutions acted to solve a criminal event. The results of the proposed parallel mediation model showed that there is a significant and positive indirect effect of this representation on trust in democracy only through the just-world belief. The main contribution of our study is the confirmation that cultivation and narrative persuasion work together to explain how audiovisual fiction shapes attitudes toward public institutions in two different countries. Finally, we found that further research is needed to test alternative models that include other variables to establish and better understand this psychological process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the cultivation effects of local news media use on Chicago residents' fear of crime and attitudes toward police. Chicago, IL was chosen because of the city's struggles with gang violence and with police misconduct, both which have been covered extensively by local news media. Controlling for individual level variables, including previous crime victimization and neighborhood level contexts, a survey of Chicago residents found support for local news' cultivation of residents' fear of crime, particularly by radio and TV. It is suggested that the brief and sensationalistic formats used by news media to report crime stoke residents' fear of crime. Local media also have positive effects on local residents' general attitudes toward police. Regarding a widely publicized incident of police misconduct, this study found that race moderated residents' attitudes toward the White police officer who shot and killed an unarmed Black teenager. The results showed that media shaped negative perceptions of the police only for the non-Caucasians (mostly African Americans) surveyed. It was found that fear of crime only mediated the effects of media on attitudes toward police when the specific event involved an incident of police misconduct, although the effects were minimal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the phenomenon of the commercialization of the American Dream through the example of consumerism around the realm of the suburban home, a key element of this concept in the United States, as well as the role of reality television in creating and encouraging inflated standards of consumption. It uses the example of the American television show Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. The article outlines the history and role of the American Dream, particularly the origins of the term itself, coined by Truslow Adams. The behaviour that Thorsten Veblen calls conspicuous consumption, which is characterized by a tendency to display material status in order to gain social respectability and prestige, is identified. The suburban house as a key element of the American Dream is analysed through the example of the makeovers presented in the programme. Their significant scale and unrealistic nature are often at odds with the real financial capabilities of the participants and are the cause of bankruptcies and financial problems. As the programme belongs to a genre that is supposed to reflect reality, in the light of the cultivation theory, created by George Gerbner, it influences viewers whose world-view is shaped by it and whose role models are imitated. Thus, the presented standards of a comfortable home in line with the American Dream can influence viewers' consumption behaviour by showing them that the acquisition of possessions is a solution to problems, a reward for an honest life and that there are no financial consequences associated with them. The lavishness of the houses and their luxury reinforce this impression. Finally, the article seeks to answer the question to what extent and why the need of Americans to live up to the vision of living the illusive American Dream – thus creating an image of success and social status – is exaggerated and its standards are taken to an 'extreme'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study focuses on the impact of audiovisual fiction on trust in institutions, drawing on cultivation theory and narrative persuasion research. We test the effects of audiovisual representation of security institutions’ effectiveness in fighting crime on perceived performance of security institutions, trust in democracy, political interest, and political optimism, mediated by just-world beliefs and narrative transportation. 130 students from Universidad de Salamanca (Spain) and Escuela Superior de Economía y Negocios (El Salvador) participated in the online experiment and were randomly assigned to two experimental conditions and exposed to one of two sequences from the series La Casa de Papel that differed in the degree of effectiveness (high versus low) with which security institutions acted to solve a criminal event. The results of the proposed parallel mediation model showed that there is a significant and positive indirect effect of this representation on trust in democracy only through the just-world belief. The main contribution of our study is the confirmation that cultivation and narrative persuasion work together to explain how audiovisual fiction shapes attitudes toward public institutions in two different countries. Finally, we found that further research is needed to test alternative models that include other variables to establish and better understand this psychological process.

The information systems (IS) literature has examined sexism and gender inequality issues primarily in the context of the IS workforce. I suggest that we should extend this perspective by emphasising the role of technologies in promoting sexist attitudes in youth. A review of the literature suggests that hedonic technologies, such as videogames, video streaming and social media sites, have been often portrayed as delivering sexist content, and through cultivation, producing sexist attitudes and behaviours. Here, I build on cultivation, objectification, and ambivalent sexism theories, and hypothesise that (1) such effects exist in teenage users of videogames, video streaming services and social media, and that (2) such effects are more pronounced in males. Findings based on two secondary, large nationally representative datasets (n1 = 3,300, n2 = 3,946) of high school seniors do not, for the most part, support the hypotheses. The persistent non-significant and sometimes opposite to expectation findings are very informative, because they demonstrate that the overall role of modern hedonic technologies in driving sexism in teenagers may be limited or even positive, despite claims in popular media and findings of prior lab-based research. This is because the use time of videogames was only weakly associated with sexist attitudes and use time of social media and streaming services was associated with reduced sexist attitudes. The findings make first strides toward understanding the topic of IS content delivery and sexism and pave the way for more IS research on this important topic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Within the context of rapid sociocultural transformation in Chinese society over recent decades, exploring intergenerational disparities in attitudes toward non-conventional sexual behaviors holds sociological significance. Employing a methodology akin to cultivation analysis, this study focuses on the potential influence of television and the internet in narrowing or widening attitudinal disparities between distinct age groups. This is achieved by comparing heavy users of these media to individuals with light media consumption. In the present study, we utilized the 2017 wave of the Chinese General Social Survey, a dataset that is representative of the national demographic of China. Our objective was to explore the potential influence of both traditional media (TV) and new media (the internet) consumption on the attitudes of Chinese adults toward three forms of non-conventional sexual behavior, namely premarital, extramarital, and same-sex behaviors. Firstly, compared to television, the internet is more likely to contribute to the liberalization of sexual attitudes, though this influence is age sensitive. Secondly, regarding the attitudes toward premarital sex and same sex behaviors, television tends to sustain or create consensus across different generations, whereas the internet tends to widen attitudinal gaps. Lastly, probably due to the moralized nature of extramarital sex in the Chinese context, both television and the internet maintain or produce the conservative consensus, though heavy television viewing could widen the attitudinal gap between young people and the other two age groups. Our study reveals that for premarital sex and same-sex behaviors, heavy television viewing tends to foster or sustain intergenerational consensus, while frequent internet usage tends to augment intergenerational divergence or erode intergenerational agreements. However, the media's impact on intergenerational differences in attitudes toward extramarital sex exhibits distinctive features, likely stemming from the deeply moralized nature of extramarital affairs within Chinese society. To conclude, by conducting a comparative examination of various media landscapes, our research offers a mediated perspective that aids in comprehending the disparities in attitudes toward sexual behaviors across different generations in contemporary China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Supporters of American Indian mascots claim that these mascots honor American Indians. If this is the case, then those who have more contact with, and are more supportive of, these mascots would logically demonstrate support for American Indian Peoples in other ways. In this study, we break new ground by employing a cultivation and social learning approach to examine possible associations between greater exposure to American Indian mascots and prejudice toward American Indians, as well as support for their rights. We used an online survey of 903 White Americans to examine associations between long-term exposure to American Indian mascots, attitudes toward Native appropriation, and support for American Indian Peoples. We found that greater exposure to sport media and more contact with American Indian mascots were associated with more prejudice toward and less support for American Indian rights, via double mediators—first via less opposition to American Indian mascots, and second via less opposition to other types of Native appropriation. These findings provide further evidence that American Indian mascots are harmful to American Indians, in this case via their association with higher levels of modern prejudice, less feelings of warmth, and less support for American Indian Nation sovereignty and trust relationship with the United States government. Further, our findings suggest that this harm may be related to lessons learned from the general phenomenon of Native appropriation, which includes acceptance of objectification and dehumanization of American Indians, disregard for their feelings, and legitimation of White settler colonial power. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mediated intergroup contact can reduce recipients' prejudice. However, prior studies have mainly examined the effects of carefully selected stimuli, contents, and genres. We investigated whether outgroup exposure on the level of real-life, multi-channel media diets is associated with reduced prejudice. Prior scholarship offers contradictory expectations: We tested this with survey data from South Africa where the numeric group constellation and the media system should make blatant stereotyping in traditional media less likely. While social media interactions were associated with more positive attitudes, effects in traditional media varied across the type of medium and sample. This suggests that it will be difficult to associate a person's general media usage with their prejudice. We discuss the challenges for future tests of the real-life potential of mediated intergroup contact. Altogether, our study dampens initial hopes and underlines the importance of targeted interventions and outstanding single contents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current set of studies adopts cultivation theory and mediated contact to explore the relationship between viewers' consumption of Jewish television characters, endorsement of negative Jewish stereotypes (study 1; N = 150), anti-Semitism, and support for Jewish-related social issues (study 2; N = 584). Study 1 revealed a significant relationship between viewers' consumption of Jewish television characters and Jewish stereotype endorsement. Study 2 showed a significant relationship between viewers' consumption of Jewish television characters and anti-Semitic attitudes; however, consumption was also related to viewers' favorable support for Jewish-related social issues. Findings indicate a complicated relationship and suggest that the consumption of Jewish television characters may intensify negative attitudes, including stereotype endorsement and anti-Semitism, but the ethnic and cultural identity contributes to confounding feelings toward social issues. We offer a discussion of the results regarding media cultivation, intergroup contact, and the Jewish community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the cultivation theory and the theory of planned behavior, this study determined how people's perceptions of mass media news and their attitudes towards it impact their altruistic behavior by examining the factors that influence perception. The study collected data from 435 individuals with access to mass media in Taiwan, which were analyzed using SEM. The results revealed that media exposure, credibility, and social influence were critical factors that influenced individuals' perceptions of mass media news, with media exposure having a more significant influence. Surprisingly, the findings demonstrated that perception was negatively related to attitudes, inconsistent with the proposed hypothesis. Thus, perceptions and attitudes were positively associated with altruistic behavior, and attitude was found to mediate the relationship between perceptions about mass media news and altruistic behavior. The study also provides important implications for theory and practice, especially in mass media entities, in developing and adopting practices that promote trust among the audience by encouraging altruistic behaviors through news coverage of various issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To what extent should scholars view competitive reality television series as a politically relevant medium for transmitting messages about race, racial identity, and politics in the United States? Cultivation theory argues that the depiction of social issues and groups on television influences how individuals perceive the world around them. Drawing on this theory, I argue that the increasingly diverse casts of American competitive reality series are a heretofore underexplored site for studying the transmission of narratives related to race and racial justice to ostensibly unsuspecting American television audiences. In this article, I analyze viewers' reactions to Black contestants discussing their feelings of racialized social obligations when playing the game – what I refer to as narratives of racial duty. Employing a sentiment analysis as well as an inductive thematic content analysis of tweets reacting to four episodes from the 41st season of Survivor, I found that audience members overwhelmingly reacted negatively to embedding narratives of racial duty into the series. Specifically, they described the season as too political – the worst in the show's history – and even vowed to stop watching. These findings suggest that broadcasting exemplars who challenge prevailing narratives of racial progress may stoke feelings of racial backlash that could ultimately prompt individuals to tune out of these entertainment programs at best, and stoke racial discord at worst. Thus, I conclude that bringing race to the center of communication research offers scholars in both traditions a new vantage point for studying trends in American racial attitudes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fairness of human‐related software has become critical with its widespread use in our daily lives, where life‐changing decisions are made. However, with the use of these systems, many erroneous results emerged. Technologies have started to be developed to tackle unexpected results. As for the solution to the issue, companies generally focus on algorithm‐oriented errors. The utilized solutions usually only work in some algorithms. Because the cause of the problem is not just the algorithm; it is also the data itself. For instance, deep learning cannot establish the cause–effect relationship quickly. In addition, the boundaries between statistical or heuristic algorithms are unclear. The algorithm's fairness may vary depending on the data related to context. From this point of view, our article focuses on how the data should be, which is not a matter of statistics. In this direction, the picture in question has been revealed through a scenario specific to "vulnerable and disadvantaged" groups, which is one of the most fundamental problems today. With the joint contribution of computer science and social sciences, it aims to predict the possible social dangers that may arise from artificial intelligence algorithms using the clues obtained in this study. To highlight the potential social and mass problems caused by data, Gerbner's "cultivation theory" is reinterpreted. To this end, we conduct an experimental evaluation on popular algorithms and their data sets, such as Word2Vec, GloVe, and ELMO. The article stresses the importance of a holistic approach combining the algorithm, data, and an interdisciplinary assessment. This article is categorized under:Algorithmic Development > Statistics [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While Nollywood, Nigeria's movie/film industry, may have had a chequered history, it has no doubt carved a niche for itself in the global space of the film industry. It currently stands as the most authoritative and authentic voice of Africa and the Black race in film discourse. Employing historical-analytic and direct observation methods, this paper examines how Nigerian moviemakers preserve the Nigerian/African ecosystem through their film locales. By building homes for the gods in the forests and on tree trunks, they preserve such trees, which would have fallen victim to modernisation by being used as planks and woods for various purposes. Unfortunately, this supposedly noteworthy effort is distorting reality and misrepresenting the way Africans relate with and treat their gods. Drawing from Gerbner's Cultivation Theory, the paper submits that Nollywood's concept of forests and tree trunks as the dwelling place of the gods might, over time, be assumed to be the norm rather than a fictitious creation of filmmakers by the viewers in contrast to reality unless it is addressed forthwith. It is, therefore, recommended that Nollywood filmmakers should not sacrifice the reality of the dwelling place of the gods in Africa for the purpose of achieving film richness and aesthetics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

COVID-19 has fueled discrimination against people of Asian descent across the world, and anti-Asian sentiment has become pervasive across social media platforms. However, little research has been conducted to understand Asians' experiences of COVID-related racism outside the USA. Drawing insights from cultivation theory and minority stress theory, this study examines how young Asians' use of social media in Australia affects their experiences of individual and vicarious racial discrimination on social media, and how racial discrimination experienced on social media is associated with their concerns about real-world racism and well-being. A survey of 413 social media users aged 16–30 who self-identified as Asians or Asian Australians shows that active use of social media relating to COVID-19 increases their likelihood of experiencing both individual and vicarious racial discrimination on social media. Racism experienced on social media contributes to their concerns about real-world racism, which leads to negative emotions and low life satisfaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This review shows the television violence research into a broader context by examining if the media violence (epically television violence) is the cause of violent behavior for the receivers. We describe how researchers discussed whether exposure to television violence increases aggressive or violent behavior by reviewing different research studied and examining the relationship between exposure to television violence and aggressive or other undesirable behavior. We concluded that exposure to television violence is the main cause of aggressive and violent behavior and an important factor that contributes to more aggressive and violent behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although representations of American Indians in mass media are rare, when depicted they are portrayed in a consistent stereotypical manner, especially as bloodthirsty warriors and noble Indians from the past. We used a cultivation approach, surveying 903 White Americans, to explore whether greater reported exposure to 6 media types and genres was associated with the endorsement of 5 stereotypes. We found that more reported exposure to television, books, social media, news, and sports media was associated with greater endorsement of the warrior Indian stereotype. More exposure to social media was associated with more endorsement of the noble Indian stereotype and less endorsement of the casino and degraded Indian stereotypes, and more exposure to sports media was associated with less endorsement of the degraded Indian stereotype. We discuss our findings in relation to cultivation theory, settler colonial theory, and the phenomenon of ostensibly positive stereotypes, as well as their implications for American Indian Peoples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Guided by cultivation theory and intergroup contact theory, we examined how U.S. college students' traditional media use and social media use for information about COVID-19, and direct contact with Chinese were associated with their behavioral attitudes toward Chinese people in this survey study. Findings indicated that contact quality was positively associated with attitudes toward Chinese people. Moderation analyses indicated that traditional media use negatively predicted behavioral attitudes toward Chinese people for those with no Chinese friends and was a nonsignificant predictor for those with one or more Chinese friends. Furthermore, results indicated that social media use was positively associated with attitudes toward Chinese people for those who had high contact quality with Chinese but was a nonsignificant predictor for those who had low contact quality. Overall findings ruminate the critical role of intergroup contact quality and friendship in reducing intergroup prejudice in COVID-19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We adopt the cultivation theory to identify the ways the increased exposures to (mis)information in social media and traditional media cultivate the perceptions of (1) informational mistrust and (2) ill-confidence in dealing with Covid-19 pandemic risk. Importantly, we expanded the theory and hypothesized about the roles of informal societal ties by investigating whether local community attachment and frequent friend-family interactions can mitigate the formation and consequence of mistrust arising from the exposure to misinformation. We found that the higher exposure to Covid-19 misinformation, as promulgated in both active and passive social media uses, was related to informational mistrust that was also linked to a lower level of confidence in telling the veracity of misinformation. Findings also show the significant relationships between two forms of informal social ties and misinformation confidence. We discuss how the abundance of information sources fuels misinformed citizenry as individuals are left alone to navigate increasingly confusing influx of unfounded misinformation abounded in social media. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The terms single and singlehood conflate marital (e.g. divorced, widowed, and never married) and relationship (e.g. partnered or not) statuses, complicating researchers' understandings of their unique impact on women's lives. Despite qualitative research demonstrating unmarried and unpartnered statuses have distinct implications for women's sexual socialization, little quantitative research has explored these differences. To address this gap, the current project surveyed 506 unmarried Black women (Mage = 33.02) to explore how common singlehood experiences (dating, motherhood, and intimate partner violence [IPV]) moderated associations between respondents' media use (television, social media, movies, and magazines) and relationship beliefs. This project focused on Black women because of their high rates of unmarried status and the pervasiveness of media stereotypes of their singlehood. Hierarchical linear regressions and the PROCESS model were used to test two-way interactions of media and singlehood experiences. Ecological systems and cultivation theories guided analyses. Across the dependent variables, media types were differentially associated with measures of relationship beliefs and these associations were differentially moderated by singlehood experiences. Weekly television was the most consistent predictor of relationship beliefs and experience with IPV was the most consistent moderator of associations. Women without partners, children, or experiences of IPV exhibited significant associations between media and relationship beliefs while their more experienced peers did not, suggesting singlehood experiences and media work together to shape unmarried Black women's sexual socialization, though more work is needed to determine how. Results illuminated key differences between groups of unmarried Black women, complicating current understandings of single status and challenging how singlehood is conceptualized in sexual socialization research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Considering how communities perceive the threat and risks of COVID-19, it is essential to examine how emotional regulation stimulated through intrinsic and extrinsic incentive mechanisms via social media can reinforce 'Stay at home' intentions. The conceptual framework was developed using the elements of the Extended Parallel Process Model (EPPM). A self-reported questionnaire was used to measure individuals' intention to stay at home during the pandemic based on the perceived locus of causality as a part of self-determination theory. The empirical research was conducted on a sample of 306 USA respondents. The study results indicate that both components of the EPPM—efficacy and threat—positively affect 'stay at home' intentions. Moreover, a positive effect of efficacy on threats was found, as was a moderating effect of threats on the relationship between efficacy and the intention to stay at home. Meanwhile, the influence of social media exposure on threats and behavioral intentions was not significant. People are likely to stay at home as a preventive measure during COVID-19 if there is enough threats and efficacy. However, the abundance of information and opinions in social media can lead to a decreased perceived threat and might disrupt the acceptance of preventive actions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using cultivation and attachment theories as the theoretical frameworks, this study examined two potential mediators in the associations between past television exposure and adult romantic attachment: romantic self-efficacy and transportability. The resulting analyses shed light on how television exposure during childhood and adolescence may have long-term impacts on adult attachment dimensions (i.e., attachment anxiety and avoidance). Findings indicate higher past overall and genre-specific television exposure directly and indirectly promotes higher attachment anxiety above the influence of parent and peer attachment; however, the direct and indirect relationships between past overall and genre-specific television exposure and attachment avoidance are more complex. These patterns of findings contribute to the body of literature on both attachment theory and cultivation analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The disparity between the ongoing use of criminal profiling and the lack of empirical evidence for its validity is referred to as criminal profiling illusion. Associated risks for society range from misled police investigations, hindered apprehensions of the actual offender(s), and wrongful convictions to mistrust in the police. Research on potential explanations is in its infancy but assumes that people receive and adopt incorrect messages favoring the accuracy and utility of criminal profiling. One suggested mechanism through which individuals may acquire such incorrect messages is the consumption of fictional crime-related media which typically present criminal profiling as highly accurate, operationally useful, and leading to the apprehension of the offender(s). By having some relation to reality but presenting a distorted picture of criminal profiling, fictional crime-related media may blur the line between fiction and reality thereby increasing the risk for the audience to mistake fiction for fact. Adopting a cultivation approach adequate to examine media effects on one's perception, the present study is the first to investigate whether the perception of criminal profiling may be influenced by the consumption of fictional crime-related media based on a correlation study. Although the results provide support for the assumption that misperceptions of criminal profiling are widely spread in the general population and associated with the consumption of fictional crime-related media, the found cultivation effects are small and must be interpreted cautiously. Considering that even small effects may have the potential to influence real-life decision-making, they may still be relevant and affect society at large. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During a time of heightened political polarization in India, use of the communication app WhatsApp skyrocketed. Alongside benefits of the app come a slew of dangerous outcomes, such as the proliferation of misinformation on the chat-based app. To this end, we conducted 19 semi-structured, in-depth interviews with Indian users of WhatsApp over the age of 40. The aim of study was to examine how WhatsApp users engage with the platform and the content they access through it in order to mediate through political polarization at an already divisive time." Our results yielded three overarching themes: First, participants rarely engage in accuracy determination tactics. Second, they expressed familiarity with politically polarizing content but claimed not to engage with it. Third, they expressed intense hopes for future effective content moderation on WhatsApp. By applying cultivation theory to these insights, we examine how the app creates a reality for its users based on media socialization and the truth effect. Our participants' insights and our subsequent analysis challenge the top-down-centric approach of many technology companies and governments to curb misinformation. We instead propose a holistic approach that better advances our understanding of the misinformation ecosystem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Because correctional facilities are closed environments, perceptions of prison and jails are largely informed by the media; unfortunately, those perceptions are often inaccurate. Faculty in criminal justice programs often strive to combat inaccurate media images, including offering criminal justice students the opportunity to tour a prison or jail. In this study, undergraduate criminal justice students were surveyed about the sources of their corrections information prior to attending a tour of a prison or jail. After the tour, students wrote a reflective essay comparing their perceptions before the tour to their actual experiences on the tour. In the survey and in their essays, students pointed to the media as a major source of their information about corrections. While a few students noted similarities, most students commented about the differences in what they observed on the tour versus what they expected to see. These findings indicate the important role the media plays in shaping student perceptions and how short-term experiential learning opportunities like field trips can counteract stereotypes. We discuss implications for instructors planning field trips in relation to the study results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this position paper, I argue for a structurationist understanding of advertising, exploring the current standing of advertising within western cultures, establishing advertising’s nature as a ‘distorting mirror’ of socio-cultural trends that can provide insight into the mental images and expectations of its target audience. Outlining aspects of the reciprocal relationship between society and advertising, by showcasing how advertising can impact its audiences, the paper provides relevant takeaways of this view of advertising for both academics and brand managers.

Because correctional facilities are closed environments, perceptions are largely informed by the media. Tours of correctional facilities can be utilized to expose students to the reality of corrections. We explored the impact of media on students’ perceptions using Experiential Learning Theory and Cultivation Theory. Perceptions of inmates and corrections held by undergraduate students prior to correctional facility tours and how these perceptions compared to their actual experiences were examined utilizing survey data and reflective essays. Students pointed to the media as a major source of their information about corrections. While most students commented about the differences in what they observed and what they expected, a few students noted similarities. These findings indicate the important role the media plays in shaping student perceptions and how experiential learning opportunities can counteract stereotypes.

Media has grown in popularity throughout time, and with it, so has media's ability to influence those who watch it. Specifically, romantic media has the potential to influence personal romantic beliefs. However, to date, research has typically relied on self-reported questionnaires for determining associations. Therefore, the present study examined the influence of romantic reality media on a specific set of romantic beliefs (i.e., individuals' implicit theories of relationships) using an experimental procedure. Participants from a small liberal arts college first completed an online, prevideo survey (N = 128) assessing their prior romantic media consumption and their current romantic beliefs. A subset of the participants (n = 81) then came into a computer lab and watched 1 of 3 videos: emphasizing growth beliefs, emphasizing destiny beliefs, or a nonromantic media video. Immediately after the video, participants filled out a postvideo survey assessing their romantic media consumption and postvideo romantic beliefs. Analyses revealed a significant 3-way interaction between implicit theories of relationships, wave of data collection, and video condition, Wilk's λ = .80, F(2, 74) = 9.38, p < .001, ηp 2 = .20. Specifically, participants who watched the growth video had a significant change in their implicit theories of relationships beliefs; there was not a significant change in beliefs for participants who watched the destiny video. Results are discussed in relation to cultivation theory, professional implications in the counseling fields, and future directions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Televizyon, insanların hayatına girdiği ilk günden bu yana, onların üzerindeki etkisini artırmış ve gerçeklik kavramsallaştırmalarında birincil kaynakların önüne geçmiştir. Televizyondan yansıyan imajlar ise toplumda kimin, hangi grupların, ya da değer yargılarının önemli olduğunu insanların bilincine ekerek; egemen bağımlı ilişkilerinin değişmez, değişse de yerine daha kötüsünün geleceğinin içselleştirilmesinde aktif olarak rol almıştır.Bu çalışmanın konusunu, Türkiye’deki televizyon izleyicisinin, haberlerden sonra en çok tercih ettiği program türü olan televizyon dizilerinin içeriği oluşturmaktadır. Bu anlamda çalışmanın amacı, televizyon izleyicisine ne tür bir dünya tasviri sunulduğunu ortaya koymaktır. Bu amaçla en çok reyting alan 7 ulusal televizyon kanalının prime- time kuşağında yayınlanan 24 dizi, George Gerbner’ın 1960’ların sonunda oluşturduğu Kültürel Göstergeler Projesinin ikinci aşaması olan Mesaj Sistem Çözümlemesine tabi tutulmuştur. Çözümleme sonucunda Türkiye’de prime-time’da yayınlanan dizilerde, ABD’deki televizyonların egemen içeriğini temsil edecek şekilde, şiddetin yoğun olarak kullanıldığı, yaşlıların ve toplumda yer alan bazı grupların görmezden gelindikleri ve toplumdaki oranlarıyla kıyaslandığında cinsiyet, yaş gurubu ve sosyo-ekonomik statülerden oluşan çeşitli grupların son derece orantısız olarak temsil edildikleri; bir diğer ifade ile bu dizilerin gerçekliğin çarpıtılmış bir resmini sundukları bulgulanmıştır.

Background: Video games are expanding exponentially with their increased popularity among users. However, this popularity has also led to an increase in reported video game addiction. There may be consumer engagement-related factors that may influence video game addiction. Objective: This study aims to empirically examine the impact of the dimensions of consumer video game engagement on video game addiction. The dimensions are dedication, absorption, conscious attention, social connection, enthusiasm, and interaction. We utilize the uses and gratifications theory to study the video game engagement dimensions as potential factors through which gamers feel gratified and engaged in video game playing. Additionally, this study incorporates the cultivation theory to investigate how video game engagement factors trigger video game addiction. Methods: A two-step process was applied for data analysis on valid cases of 176 gamers aged 15-25 years: video game addiction was specified and validated as a reflective-formative construct, and hypothesis testing was later performed using the WarpPLS on valid respondents. Results: The analysis uncovered 2 dimensions of video game engagement: social connection with P=.08 and interaction with P=.49, which did not significantly contribute to video game addiction. Conclusions: This study offers unique insights to a myriad of stakeholders, mostly psychologists and psychiatrists, who routinely prescribe behavior modification techniques to treat video game addiction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: According to cultivation theory, distorted representations of social reality on television can lead to distorted perceptions of reality among viewers. For example, the death penalty has been abolished in most Western countries a long time ago, but is often portrayed or mentioned in US crime shows, which are very popular outside the United States. Previous research suggests that the amount of television viewing can be associated with erroneous perceptions of the use of the death penalty—even when the death penalty is not used in the respective country. Unfortunately, available evidence on this association is inconclusive.Methods: In a cross-sectional web-based survey, we used quota-based sampling techniques to recruit 1,002 individuals representative of the Austrian population in terms of gender, age, education, and region of residence. We asked about their weekly amount of television viewing and use of US crime dramas and measured their beliefs on the use of the death penalty in Austria.Results: Although television viewing in general was not associated with erroneous perceptions of the death penalty (i.e., no overall across-the-board cultivation effect), data analysis provided supporting evidence for the idea of a genre-specific cultivation effect: The more US crime shows participants watched, the more likely they were to mistakenly believe that the death penalty is used in Austria. This association held true even after controlling for the gender, age, and education of participants.Conclusion: The finding that watching US crime shows, which are based on social reality in the United States, is associated with Austrian viewers' confusion with regards to perceptions of the death penalty is consistent with the genre-specific cultivation hypothesis. Some viewers may be guided more by mediated reality than by actual social reality.

Background: According to cultivation theory, distorted representations of social reality on television can lead to distorted perceptions of reality among viewers. For example, the death penalty has been abolished in most Western countries a long time ago, but is often portrayed or mentioned in US crime shows, which are very popular outside the United States. Previous research suggests that the amount of television viewing can be associated with erroneous perceptions of the use of the death penalty—even when the death penalty is not used in the respective country. Unfortunately, available evidence on this association is inconclusive. Methods: In a cross-sectional web-based survey, we used quota-based sampling techniques to recruit 1,002 individuals representative of the Austrian population in terms of gender, age, education, and region of residence. We asked about their weekly amount of television viewing and use of US crime dramas and measured their beliefs on the use of the death penalty in Austria. Results: Although television viewing in general was not associated with erroneous perceptions of the death penalty (i.e., no overall across-the-board cultivation effect), data analysis provided supporting evidence for the idea of a genre-specific cultivation effect: The more US crime shows participants watched, the more likely they were to mistakenly believe that the death penalty is used in Austria. This association held true even after controlling for the gender, age, and education of participants. Conclusion: The finding that watching US crime shows, which are based on social reality in the United States, is associated with Austrian viewers' confusion with regards to perceptions of the death penalty is consistent with the genre-specific cultivation hypothesis. Some viewers may be guided more by mediated reality than by actual social reality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Race-related media effects research often address the misrepresentations of Black characterizations and their relationship to non-Black audiences. However, very few studies center the relationship between Black audiences and protective strategies that may mitigate unfavorable outcomes. Likewise, scant research acknowledges shifts in distinct Black media representation. To address this, an exploration of media representations of Black individuals, tenets from cultivation theory, and media literacy are adopted to understand the relationship between media consumption and favorable group outcomes. Results reveal that Black viewers' media literacy skills and increased media consumption are positively associated with increased individual and racial group esteem, suggesting that Black consumers are not passive in their media consumption and may reap favorable benefits from their media viewing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study is premised on the expectation that the time university students spend on campus may represent the most substantial exposure they will have to science and scientists in their lifetime. Building on the cultivation theory, we examine whether exposure to science during undergraduate education – through a major in a natural science field or not – is associated with students' science knowledge and attitudes towards science and scientists. In total, 1727 undergraduates from a Midwestern university completed the survey. Mean comparisons suggest small increases in science knowledge and perception of scientist's competence along with a small decrease in reservations about science. Perceptions of scientists' warmth appears to stay stable. Regression analyses with moderation reveal that some demographic factors are associated with science knowledge and attitudes, and some limited cases of possible moderation between student demographics and year of study. Implications for science communication and recruitment efforts in STEM colleges are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

G. Gerbner presented the theory of cultivation under the umbrella of his “cultural indicators” paradigm. G. Gerbner’s theory of Cultivation indicates that viewers who have immense exposure to media, particularly to television, grasp the social truths of the world the way they are broadcast on the screen and this activity influences the audiences’ attitudes and manners. Several scholars have exploited the cultivation theory to hypothesize about how media cultivates viewers’ perception of health risk, socio-political and cultural values. The bottom-line of cultivation theory is that the higher amount of time people exploit ‘living' in the television realm, the greater is the risk of their assuming the scenes being portrayed on the silver screen as truths rather social realities. Coca Cola can be well termed as one such brand that is internationally recognized and runs a worldwide marketing campaign. The proof for its success is that the brand is well known not because of the taste but for its strong advertising as well. This phenomenal brand promotion has inspired the researchers to investigate the factors, policies and strategies behind strong impact of Coke’s advertising campaign through the Cultivation Theory. The brand has also made the researchers focus on what content exactly the coke ads contain and how it is presented on screen. For the study, Coke’s advertisement in Pakistan was selected. For this mixed method study, a semi structured interview was held with the company manager in order to explore the first objective. The content of the message was analyzed by applying qualitative analysis. The data were analyzed by centering on the first two prongs of cultivation theory. The study revealed that the musical theme underlying the sense of festivity, merriment and celebration that had been promoted to elate the emotions meet the demand of Pakistan’s collectivistic culture and hence, has become success factor of coke’s consumerism and raised the impact as well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Hallmark Channel, a highly watched cable network, is known for its consistently idealistic portrayals of romantic relationships. Despite its popularity, no research has examined whether increased viewership of Hallmark movies covaries with endorsement of relationship beliefs. According to cultivation theory, what we watch impacts our beliefs and perceptions of reality. Additionally, the Differential Susceptibility to Media Effects Model (DSMM) proposes that certain variables, such as developmental (i.e., age, relationship length) and dispositional factors (e.g., attachment style, gender), may make certain viewers more or less susceptible to the effects of media viewership. Based on this grounding, the main purpose of this study was to determine if watching more Hallmark movies is associated with endorsing certain beliefs about romantic relationships and opposite-sex friendships when controlling for several susceptibility factors. A nationwide sample of heterosexual, married participants (N = 279) completed measures of Romantic Beliefs, Implicit Theories of Relationships, and beliefs about opposite-sex friendships and reported on their media consumption. More frequent Hallmark movie viewership was associated with increased endorsement of several relationship beliefs, above and beyond susceptibility factors (e.g., attachment, relationship length) and daily television consumption. Specifically, greater Hallmark movie viewership was positively associated with greater endorsement of multiple unrealistic relationship beliefs, destiny beliefs, and believing that opposite-sex friendships are problematic. The findings of the current study provide further support for cultivation theory and DSMM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on cultivation theory, this study addresses television content as a core contributor to socialization processes in early childhood. The study involved an in-depth thematic analysis of early childhood socialization agents on television channels targeting young children. The analysis revealed young viewers are presented with a world saturated by supportive friendships but few and weak representations of adults. Friends dominate the boundary-free imaginary world at the center of televised narratives. Adults are often delegated to the plots' margins and are rarely presented as authority figures. Implications are discussed in light of the child viewers' developmental characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 4.5 million international students worldwide bring in multifold benefits to the advancement of culture, economy, and national security in education host countries. Surprisingly, few prior studies have explored international students' fear of crime, which may harm their mental and physical health and undermine their educational achievements. The current study aims to fill in this research void by investigating international students' fear of crime in line with the cultivation theoretical framework, which postulates that media consumption cultivates fear of crime. The analyses draw on a sample of 398 international students attending nine different public and private universities across the United States. Using structural equation modeling (SEM), I investigate the extent and correlates of students' fear of crime. The findings reveal that international students are more fearful in the United States than in their home countries. SEM results show that controlling for students' fear in their home countries, attention paid to crime news is positively related to fear in the United States, through perceived victimization risk. The SEM results also suggest that exposure to non-U.S. social media (e.g., WeChat and Weibo) is positively related to respondents' fear of crime, whereas exposure to U.S. social media (e.g., Facebook and Twitter) is not related to fear of crime. The current study highlights the importance of studying the impact of fear of crime and social media use on international students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Media researchers have long considered the extent to which the media influence perceptions of the police. More recently, scholars have encouraged more specific investigations to determine if media effects can vary depending on the audience's characteristics. The present article contributes to and extends this line of research by employing unique measures of the media considering various modes of media and content and by examining whether individual experiences condition media effects on perceptions of the police. Using a sample of college students from Southwestern Pennsylvania, results show that there are significant interaction effects between some media measures and audience characteristics, highlighting that it is critical to consider individual characteristics and experiences in understanding media effects on perceptions of the police. Our findings provide mixed support for both of the mainstreaming hypothesis and the resonance hypothesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study examines the influence of positive, negative, and mixed portrayals of the police in the media on perceptions of police. Participants were randomly assigned to watch an edited video segment from entertainment media. Employing a within-subjects design, participants were surveyed on their perceptions of police, exposed to a video clip, and then re-surveyed. Results from paired-samples t-tests provide evidence concerning media impact on perceptions of police with strong internal validity. The current findings indicate that media exposure can matter, particularly when it introduces negative images of police. Even when mixed images of police were presented, participants were more driven by the negative portrayal. This finding is in line with an asymmetrical impact of negative encounters with police relative to positive encounters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hip-hop language due to its vocabulary and grammar has obtained interest in the field of sociolinguistics. The study attempts to explore the influence of hip-hop language over young Pakistani listener's speech. Based on previous studies, it is considered the most popular music genre among youngsters, worldwide. Data was collected from participants through interviews and was analysed in the lens of Cultivation Theory by Gerbner and Gross (1976). Results of the study shows that Pakistani youth is under the influence of hip-hop music which influences their speech in daily life. Furthermore, both lexical and phonological features show the shift towards the hiphop culture of modern day. Future implications can be done using the present study to trace the reasons behind the inclination of youngsters towards the hip-hop genre. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]