Introduction to Mass Media TV: Changing Channels

TV: the most pervasive pastime

TV Channels What do you watch? What is the most popular TV channels?

TV platform Free satellite Pay satellite Cable Terrestrial IP TV

TV user types Couch potato/Television Type Heavy user and light user by cultivation theory (Gerbner, 1980) Categorization of TV viewers by Self-report : Light viewers: maximum 2 hours a day, Heavy viewers (television types): more than 4 hours Light viewers watch particular shows, but television types aren’t selective.

TV impact Cultivation Theory: Meanworld Syndrome Content analysis of the TV world: to identify how much of TV news and entertainment contains violence (i.e., TV Violence Index) Survey of viewers’ perceptions of the real world: to identify the extent to which viewers believe the outside world is mean and dangerous (i.e., Mean World Syndrome, or MWS)

Example Survey Questions to Measure “Mean World Syndrome” Are most people friendly? Are most people helpful? Are most people trustworthy? Do you fear to walk alone in streets at night? Do you support the use of excessive forces against criminals?

Equal violence, unequal risk Old people, children, Hispanics, African Americans, women, and blue-collar workers are more often victimized. Television places marginalized people in symbolic double jeopardy by simultaneously underrepresenting and overvictimizing them. Not surprisingly, marginalized people then exhibit the most fear of violence as a result of television programming.

TV impact on attitudes. Chances of involvement with violence—light viewers predict 1/100, heavy viewers 1/10. Fear of walking alone at night—heavy viewers overestimate the danger by a factor of ten. Perceived activity of police—heavy viewers overestimate the size of law enforcement by a factor of five. General mistrust of people—heavy viewers are suspicious of others’ motives (the mean world syndrome).