Cultivation Theory

Cultivation theory was theorized by George Gerbner. He recognized that the television was creating a dramatic shift in the way that people were influenced on a daily basis. Furthermore, according to Gerbner, he believed that violence was a staple to the television world because it was the cheapest, and most dramatic way to create entertainment. With that, Gerbner came up with "mean world syndrome."
Mean world syndrome is a mindset created from too much TV viewing that creates an overall mistrust of other people. However, keep in mind that much research on this topic has come up short as inconclusive.

After reviewing this theory, I was able to understand and relate to the theory well, simply through personal experiences. Many current movies and television shows are along the lines of gruesome, thriller, crime dramas. In the media today there has been a lot of discussion about this relating to real-world violence (school shootings, gruesome murders, and general gun violence). While this is all very relevant to the cultivation theory, I would like to propose a less direct link–reality TV.

Reality TV from what I have experienced, has created a false reality for many (primarily young) people. I say this with shows in mind like "Keeping Up With the Kardashians." This shows "characters" essentially create a world where materialistic values rule. There is less of a focus on others, and more of a focus on self. This world alters the importance of more traditional "human" values. The link between this and the mean world syndrome may be distant, but I find the link to be "the general mistrust of others…by heavy TV viewers." If one were to watch this show (or shows similar) they would probably begin to feel like they were not good enough because their lives are incomparable to the lives of the Kardashians. With that in mind, various fears would most likely emerge to things like eating disorders, robbery, plastic surgery, and people becoming really annoying to try to fit in (just being honest).  Clearly, the fear isn't a criminal fear as much as it is a personal fear–a self fear.

In conclusion, this is a stretch I realize, but I think that it has some connection. The world is changing, and even though reality TV has had somewhat of a drop in viewership, there is still a large following. Many people have been vocal about the obvious effects that have taken place since reality TV, but we have yet to see the long term effects.