A Look at Motivated Discussion Question For the Cultivation Theory

My motivated discussion question for the Cultivation Theory asked if the theory would stand the test of time, maintaining television as the most influential media source influencing social perspective. When the theory was developed in the mid 1960’s, television was a huge source for all media and entertainment in a way that could not be delivered by any other media, such as newspapers and radio. However, in today’s society, the internet has become another huge influence on social perspective, and could be argued that it was more influential than television Although television has its benefits that are unique to its type of media, the internet has been increasing in popularity It has also been improving with the advancement technology.

Some benefits of television include its resonance, which means it delivers messages that are often congruent with viewers‘ experiences. Television is also mostly factual, meaning that news channels deliver very reliable information, which is not always the case on the internet. Viewers trust television, and therefore, assume many of the values and assumptions that television give them. The impact of television can also be small, but very significant. A simple fictional television show may seem innocent, but everything a person takes in is influencing them in some way, affecting their perspectives on social reality. Television also makes it easy to mainstream their values and messages, through often dominating other media sources. Although television is a huge influence, the internet has been gaining popularity and has become another contender.

The internet is easily accessible, whether accessing it through a smartphone or a portable computer. In today’s modern society, internet is available to almost everyone almost all of the time. It is also reliable, like television, in regards to the different news websites. A huge reason the internet is heavily influential is because of social media networks. When something big happens in the world, social media is the first to hear about it. It has become a fact that when an event occurs, it will hit social media before it reaches television on a reputable news channel. These social media outlets include Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, and more, People, especially teenagers and young adults, rely on the internet for their news In effect, the ideas and messages on the internet impact the perspectives people have about social reality in a huge way, People spend much more time on the internet than they watch television in today’s world. Therefore, although television will always have its unique qualities, I believe that the internet will keep increasing in its influence