Is What You See What You Get? How Media Shapes Our Fear of Crime
"Unpacking the cycle of cultivation and agenda-setting in U.S. crime perceptions."
Since its invention, television's impact on our values and beliefs has been extensively studied. Gerbner's cultivation theory suggests that television influences how we perceive the world. This aligns with social constructionists like Schutz and Berger and Luckmann, who argue media shapes our realities. Media is now a powerful force in constructing our social view.
Walter Lippmann's agenda-setting theory highlights the media's role in determining which issues the public focuses on. Crime is a significant concern in any society, and recent surveys show an increase in the fear of crime in the U.S., despite actual crime rates decreasing. This article explores how media coverage of crime, particularly in news programs, contributes to this contradiction.
We'll examine the media's development through the lens of cultivation theory, define the social construction of reality, and explore how it aligns with cultivation theory. We will reflect on the contradictions between crime statistics and fear of crime, and explain how public demand and media agendas are intertwined through cultivation and agenda-setting effects. This analysis utilizes discourse analysis and primary sources such as the Gallup poll, Bureau of Social Statistics, and the Pew Research Center.
Cultivation Theory: How Does Constant Exposure Affect Perception?
According to cultivation theory (Gerbner and Gross, Gerbner, Gross, Morgan, and Signorielli), the media shapes our reality and perspectives. The more we're exposed to television, the more we adapt our views based on those messages. For example, someone who watches crime news constantly might see society as more crime-ridden than it is, especially if that's their primary source of information. This shapes their overall view of the world.
- Local news can have a stronger cultivation effect because its depictions of violence often don't match reality, dominating the news cycle and being perceived as realistic (Perse).
- While television news consumption has decreased, it remains a primary source, with 57% of U.S. adults still using it for news (Mitchell, Gottfried, Barthel, and Shearer).
- Digital news sources are on the rise, presenting competition for television.
Final Thoughts: The Cycle of Fear
The public's rising fear of crime, despite decreasing crime rates, is rooted in the media's cultivation effect. Media constructs crime as common, influencing public perception and leading people to prioritize crime as a key issue. This fuels a cycle where media focuses on crime, increasing public demand, and further magnifying the issue. This article shows the need to understand how media consumption affects our view of reality and contributes to societal anxieties.