CULTIVATION THEORY: RETROSPECTION AND MODERNITY

Abstract

The purpose of the article is to analyze the cultivation theory and its features of its implementation in modern media.

Research methodology. The research used the historical method to analyze information about the study of cultivation theory through the prism of television and the comparative method to analyze the features of the theory on television and in new media. The methods of analysis and synthesis were used to identify the peculiarities of the cultivation theory functioning in the conditions of modern mass communication. Also, in order to obtain information from the potential target audience that is being influenced, a survey method was used. The content analysis to determine the thematic content of the «TSN. Tyzhden» news programme and the «Ukrainska Pravda» online media for 2021 – early 2022 was used.

Results. The process of informatization has become so global that it has turned information into one of the most important tools of power and management. The modern world is a «world of mass media» endowed with a mechanism of self-reproduction and self-regulation. Mass media influence the world of objective reality not only by reflecting it, but also by constructing it at their own discretion.

A few dozen years ago, television was the main object of research for J. Gerbner, but now «new media» are more interesting, because they personalize the Internet environment for each user according to individual preferences with the help of filters and the target function. Due to such an algorithmic system, any other information that may not be among interests and preferences disappears from the field of view. In this way, the possibility of receiving alternative information disappears, and a virtual reality is formed, in which there is only what the recipient was interested in before. Because of this, it is extremely difficult for many people to understand real events, because when they receive objective information, they may «bump» into the reality created by the filters in their minds.

In order to find out whether the recipients are aware of the influence of mass communication on their consciousness, 179 people were interviewed. Many respondents indicated that they are significantly influenced by the information they receive from their sources, also, almost half of them are aware that through mass media and communication there is a suggestion regarding certain events, and as a result, it cultivates views and can significantly influence world perception.

Novelty. Features of the cultivation theory’s implementation in modern media are described, as well as are new algorithms of influence on the target audience, which turned out to be much more effective than television ones. Because of this information bubble, the suggestive influence can be much stronger on the Internet than on television. In order to avoid the «filter bubble» as much as possible, recipients should: constantly search for different information, be interested in publications with different (preferably categorically opposite) points of view on certain issues, and if necessary, use different keywords and different hashtags for searches, use browsers that do not record behavioral data.

Practical significance. The research results can be useful for both practicing journalists and educators.

Key words: cultivation theory, media, mass media, communication media, media manipulation, manipulation, suggestion, suggestive manipulation, information bubble, influence.