communication video quiz

The M eaning of M

edia Content: Cultivation Theory and Ideological Analysis

O ct.24th

Cultivation Theory

Focuses on long-term cultivation

of a w orld-view

that m

irrors the view of reality presented by

m edia (m

ainly television)

Signorielli“… cultivation tries to ascertain if

those w ho spend m

ore tim e w

atching television are m

ore likely to perceive the w orld in w

ays that reflect the m

ost com m

on and repetitive m

essage and lessons of the television w orld.”

2

M ethodology of Cultivation Theorists

Cultivation researchers com pare the attitudes

and beliefs of heavy TV view ers to lightTV

view ers.

They test w hether the attitudes of heavy TV

view ers reflect the TV version of reality m

ore than light TV view

ers.

3

Cultural Indicators: M assive Content

Analysis of Television

4

5

Exam ple of Cultivation

Theory Finding:

The M ean W

orld Syndrom e

H eavy TV view

ers, on average, believe the w orld

is a m ore violent place than light TV view

ers

6

M ainstream

ing vs. D em

ographics as m

ediating variables for m edia effects

7

Q U

ESTIO N

: Cultivation Theory research w as

originally developed in the 1970s. D o you think

it rem ains a relevant theory of m

edia influence today?

8

Reasons D oubts M

ay Turn O ut to be

U nfounded (according to M

organ et al.)

• Cultivation theory speaks to aggregate level effects –

overall influence of “m edia reality”

on people’s view of reality

• It’s about the stories, not the platform

s •

TV still a VERY dom inant form

of storytelling, cross-platform

• Content diversity m

ay be som ew

hat illusory – m

edia industries highly concentrated, relative lack of diversity am

ong producers and w riters

9

Ideology, H egem

ony, and Representation in the M

edia Key Term

s for the N ext Few

Classes (before &

after m idterm

)

Ideological Analysis (C& H

p.190)

“W hat are the underlying m

essages in m edia

content, and w hose interests do they serve?”

Patterns in m edia content and their m

eaning

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G eorge G

erbner’s (m

ain architect of Cultivation Theory) favorite quote:

“If a m an w

ere perm itted to w

rite all the ballads, he need not care w

ho should m ake the law

s of the nation.”

--A ndrew

Fletcher (1653-1716)

12

Ideological Analysis com pared to

Cultivation Analysis Sim

ilarities •

Focus on long-term influence

• N

otice how m

edia reinforce attitudes and w

orldview s rather than only how

they change attitudes or behavior

• O

ften focus on recurring patterns of m edia

representation, rather than the content of a single m

edia text

13

D ifferences

Cultivation Theory

• Q

uantifiable patterns in m

edia

• Tests the influence of heavy m

edia consum ption on

beliefs and attitudes

Ideological Analysis

• Broader construction of reality in m

edia, “ideology”

• M

ay not involve research directly on view

ers.

14

D efinitions of Ideology:

• Croteau and H

oynes (pg.191): Ideology is “a

system of m

eaning that helps define and explain the w

orld and that m akes value

judgm ents about that w

orld.”

15

A M arxist Perspective on Ideology

Karl M arx (1818-1883)

Philosopher, Econom ist, and H

istorian

Ideology produces a “counterfeit im age of

the w orld” or “false consciousness.”

“The ruling m aterial force of society [i.e.,

the ones w ho control the production of

goods], is at the sam e tim

e its ruling intellectual force.”

That is, the class that controls a society’s m

eans of production and com m

ands its econom

y also rules ideologically (i.e. w hat

that society believes). 16

But how can you “im

pose” a w

orldview on people that is not in

their interests?

17

H egem

ony –

explains w hy

ruling class values are taken for granted –

even w hen the

values do N O

T serve your ow n

interests.

D istinguished rule by force

from rule by consent.

The production of com m

on sense

A n ongoing struggle by the

ruling ideas to secure consent, even as contradictions becom

e apparent.

A ntonio G

ram sci –

1891- 1937 --Italian M

arxist Theorist

18

Stuart H all: Representation

and the M

edia (M EF, 1997)

Q uestions:

1.W hat is the old view

of m edia representation?

2.W hat is the new

view ?

19

S t u

a r t H

a ll (1

9 3

2 -2

0 1

4 )

B r it

is h

C u

lt u

ra l S

t u

d ie

s fo

u n

d e

r

“ R

e p

r e

s e

n ta

tio n

is a

v e

r y

d iffe

r e

n t

n o

tio n

fro m

th a

t o f r

e fle

c tio

n . It

im p

lie s th

e a

c tiv

e w

o r k

o f s

e le

c tin

g

a n

d p

r e

s e

n tin

g , o

f s tr

u c tu

r in

g a

n d

s h

a p

in g

, n o

t m e

r e

ly th

e tra

n s m

ittin g

o f a

n a

lr e

a d

y -e

x is

tin g

m e

a n

in g

, b u

t

th e

m o

r e

a c tiv

e la

b o

u r

o f m

aking things m

ean.” (p

.1 6

1 in

th e

te x tb

o o

k )

2 0

N ext Tim

e

• Croteau &

H oynes, pp. 204-208, 246-249, Press Release

about Prof. G reyson’s research (M

oodle)

• Ideological Analysis: Representations of G

ender

Reading Q uestions

1. W

hat are som e patterns that w

e see in the representation of gender, race, and ethnicity in m

edia? 2.

W hat are som

e of the techniques of ideological

analysis used to produce these critiques?

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