Technological Determinism and Cultivation Theory Flashcards
Who came up with Technological Determinism Theory?
Marshall McLuhan, a Canadian literary theorist and philosopher.
Technological Determinism
Technology decisively shapes how individuals think, feel, and act and how societies organize themselves and operate.
What are the 4 media epochs?
Tribal, literate, print, electronic.
Tribal Epoch
Oral tradition of communication, cohesive communities, hearing is the dominant sense.
Literate Epoch
Creation of phonetic alphabet changed communication away from face to face, diminished importance of storytelling, sight as primary sense.
Print Epoch
Invention of printing press enabled mass production of written word, democratized access of information, sight even more dominant.
Electronic Epoch
Electricity changed our ability to communicate across vast distances, revival of oral tradition, global village concept.
Did McLuhan write about digital media?
No
3 Meanings of McLuhan’s Aphorism: The Medium is the Message
- The form of communication, or MEDIUM, is important.
- “Massage” -Each medium produces a different effect on the human senses.
- “Mass-age” -Mass communication is now the dominant medium of the electronic epoch.
Complete sensory data, passive, doesn’t require interpretation or thought, lectures, radio, pop music…
Hot Media
Cool Media
Less information is given, more participation required, requires mental activity and emotional involvement, rapping, crossword puzzles, class discussions…
3 Critiques of Technological Determinism
- Lack of empirical support
- Hyperbolic speculation
- Overly deterministic
Cultivation theory is a theory of
media effects.
Cultivation theory is spearheaded by
George Gerbner
Cultivation
The Cumulative process by which television fosters belief about social reality.
Refers to inaccurate view of the world resulting from long term exposure to television.
Synthetic Reality
What are the two mechanisms that explain how cultivation works?
Resonance and mainstreaming
The process by which heavy viewing of television affects viewers who have first-hand experience of violence.
Resonance
Mainstreaming
The process by which heavy viewing of television results in a similarity of perspective among a diverse group of viewers. Television’s ability to stabilize and homogenize views within a society.
How do the 3 Bs work for Gerbner?
Television BLURS the traditional distinctions in world views, BLENDS diverse realities into a single mainstream view, and BENDS the mainstream view to serve the institutional interests of television’s sponsors.
4 critiques of cultivation theory
- Weak support for the theory
- Incompatibilities within theory
- Neglects diversity of audiences
- Confusing “correlation” and “cause”
