Why do we live in such a mean world?

Well the day has arrived. This will be my 5^th and final blog for Comm 321.  Today, I would like to discuss Cultivation Theory. Cultivation Theory by George Gerbner focuses on violence in the media. He believes that the violence we watch on television cultivates paranoia. When someone watches different violent acts on television shows, they believe they are more susceptible to those violent acts happening to them.  This is similar to the idea of Mean World Syndrome. This is the cynical mindset of general mistrust of others subscribed to by heave TV viewing. So the more someone watches TV, the more they think horrid things will happen to them.

Television causes FEAR in people

This belief comes from many different shows such as, CSI, NCIS, Law and Order, and Nightline. When violence such as murder, rape, and domestic assaults are shown so much on television, it is only necessary that people watching these shows believe that it will happen to them. They become paranoid that they will get jumped in an ally or murdered when they are all alone in the middle of the night. 

A prime example of this would be my roommate. She refuses to use HWY 20 alone or without the presence of a male. She watched a late night show such as Nightline and it scared the crap out of her. It was about a man who would spot young females driving towards Newport, pass them, and then during a part of the HWY where there was no cell service he would lay down nails in the road and cause the females to have car trouble. He would then proceed to kill these young individuals. 

Because of what she read or saw, she believed that she would be the next victim. Even though the suspect was placed in jail, she still believes there is someone out there that will do that to her. Just because something horrible happened to one person, doesn't mean it is going to happen to you. Peoples paranoia and cynical minds makes them view television (any type of media really) in the Mean World Syndrome way. 

Here is the link to the suspected serial killer I discussed above.

I hope everyone is enjoying the snow as much as I am! Goodbye blog world! For now... 

Katie Figoni

This picture was taken from Oregon State Ecampus's twitter.