George Gerbner's Six Categories

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Mass Media and Reality

The media can be a powerful force in our society that is capable of influencing our thoughts, emotions, ideals, behavior, and perceptions of reality in many ways. Media in the form of television, music, and the internet have, "done much to shape the way our society is governed… (and has)…changed the way we live" (Jensen, 18, pg.1). In this sense, the mass media, especially television, offers various "definitions of reality… (that)…lead to perception of the 'reality' as normal. The result is a social legitimization of the 'reality' depicted in the mass media, which can influence behavior" (Gerbner, 18, pg.1). In this paper I will discuss the influential capacity of television regarding sex(gender)and race, the depiction of health(beauty)and age, lifestyle(work) as promoted by Mtv, and the prevalence of violence (crime) in computer gaming software.

Television - Gender, Race

One form of media that has affected my views of reality and the portrayal of our society is that of television. The representation of gender and race in television can be misleading in that, "the faces of America still aren't represented by the faces of television, according to a new report commissioned by the Screen Actors Guild" (Schneider, M., 1, pg.1). To illustrate this point, Gerbner states that, "men still outnumber women -to-1 on prime-time television, while Asian Americans, Latino/Hispanics, Native Americans, low income people, the disabled and seniors remain grossly underrepresented"( Schneider, Michael, Electronic Media, 01/04/, Vol. 18, Issue 1). Cheap custom writing service can write essays on George Gerbner's Six Categories

With this in mind, television viewers might question the lacking representation of Asian American and Latin American actors relative to actual statistics (especially considering the demographics in California alone). For instance, "Asian Americans show up 1. percent of the time on TV, less than half of their proportion of the U.S. population (.4 percent)… Latino/Hispanics make up a growing 10.7 percent of the country, yet only show up .6 percent of the time on television"(pg.1). These statistics are also evident with age as, "seniors aged 60 years or older make up 16.5 percent of the United States but just 5.6 percent of television"(pg.1). Gerbner states that, "Our studies show that casting and fate follow stable patterns, especially in prime time Men outnumber women two to one….Older people make up only one fifth of their actual proportion in the population"(Jensen, 18, pg. ).

Television Health (Beauty) and Age

Television also demonstrates a preference for female beauty and youth, and a partiality toward young actors as "older viewers have become television's forgotten audience. The senior crowd (age 60 and up) make up 16.5 percent of the audience, yet represent only 5.6 percent of TV characters" (Schneider, 1, pg.). Gerbner's categories of health (beauty) and age are relevant here as we live in a society in which physical perfection, youthful looks, and beauty (especially for women) are highly valued. For instance, television show like 'Baywatch', 'Jag', and 'Private Eye' depict mostly young, attractive, actors and actresses with attractive physiques. Over time, we become accustomed to these idealistic portrayals of men and women, which lend credence to Gerbner's question, "What message does that send to young girls? What does this teach women about their role in society? (pg. ). Gerbner indicates that, "Television programs- and movies, as well project the power structure of our society, and, by projecting it, they perpetuate it, make it seem normal, make it seem the only possibility" (pg.). Therefore, our perceptions of reality might mirror those that are provided to us by television, thereby reinforcing idealistic images of beauty and physical perfection. Gerbner, asserting that television offers a similar "kind of exchange" that a mirror might states, "You look into it and see who you are supposed to be and then you either conform or you don't" (pg.).

An actor's age seems to be a variable when casting certain roles on television, especially within the context of romance where partiality to aging male actors is evident. For instance, Gerbner states that, "Our studies show that casting and fate follow stable patterns…women between the ages of twenty-five and thirty-five are generally cast only in romantic roles" (pg.) Gerbner also states that, "According to the Screen Actors Guild, most of its female members stop getting calls when they turn thirty-five and only start getting them again when they're old enough to play grandmothers" (pg.). Therefore, the 'message' that might be sent to television viewers is, "If you're a man, by contrast, you can play romantic roles until you totter into your grave. You see men playing romantic leads at fifty sixty, even seventy" (Schneider, 1, pg.). In some sense, it seems that aging male actors have some form of job security whereas aging female actors are not so fortunate. So consequently, "As characters age, they lose importance, value and effectiveness. Mature women seem to be especially hard to cast" (pg.). The author highlights this inequity with aging female actors stating, "They are disproportionately underrepresented, undervalued and undersexed" (pg. ). Gerbner states, "What does it teach all of us about romantic relationships?" (Jensen, 1, pg.). One author points to Gerbner's Cultivation Theory suggesting that these 'overtones' in television can have, " a powerful effect on people, essentially from constant exposure to the same messages" (www.utexas.edu, pg.4).

Lifestyle (Work) and Crime (Violence)

Another influential aspect of the media, especially for younger viewers, is the representation of work (lifestyle) with Mtv. For example, all one has to do is turn on Mtv to get a glimpse of the glamorous lifestyle that singers live; expensive cars, clothes, houses, jewelry, and the like. Not only are they living a life of luxury, but quite often an opulent one. Standing in contrast to what viewers see on Mtv, one author notes, "TV largely neglects portraying the occupations that most youngsters will have to enter. 'You never see the farmer, the factory worker or the small business man'" (Petracca & Sorapure, 18, pg. 17). In his 'Cultivation Theory', George Gerbner, "links television viewing, especially heavy television viewing, with the way people perceive the world around them" (pg.1). In this light, "children's occupational aspirations are channeled in unrealistic directions" (pg.17). How can one compete or measure up to the lifestyles that are presented to us by Mtv? It would be difficult to ignore the impact or influential factor that Mtv might present to 'youngsters', especially considering the disparity between what they see on television and what they see when entering the workforce. "Gerbner and his team of researchers believe that television viewing has become a focal activity in many people's lives… (taking)…up time that people could use getting information elsewhere, such as from newspaper, books, and other people" (www.utexas.edu, pg.4)

Another form of media that has affected my views on violence is computer gaming software. One might not think that these games could influence or persuade people to act violently based on what they see, into (violent) action, however after watching my brother play a popular computer game called "Doom", I am convinced. "In Doom, players take on the role of a lone space marine stalking corridors and shooting creatures with a variety of weapons" (news.bbc.co.uk, pg. ). The "space marine" in this game typically shoots everything that is in front of him- blowing soldiers, monsters, and the like into pieces with a macabre portion of blood, guts and "splatter" in each scene. After watching one of my brothers play this game, I realized that this type of media could be lethal in the "wrong hands" (teenagers, hormones, emotional problems, etc.) The Columbine killings were an example of this conclusion as, "Investigations into the Columbine shooting showed one of the killers with a sawn-off shotgun in his lap that he called Arlene - allegedly after a character in the Doom computer game" (pg.1). To further complicate this problem, a lawsuit was filed by the, "Relatives of the people killed at Columbine massacre...seeking damages from computer game makers, claiming their products helped bring about the killings" (news.bbc.co.uk, pg.). The influence of the game is suggested by the lawsuit which states, "Absent the combination of extremely violent video games and these boys incredibly deep involvement, use of and addiction to these games and the boys basic personalities, these murders and this massacre would not have occurred" (pg.). Gerbner states, "We are awash in a tide of violent representations unlike any the world has ever seen…drenching every home with graphic scenes of expertly choreographed brutality" (Gauntlett, 1, pg. 1).

Conclusion

Television, more than any other form of media, has influenced my perceptions of reality regarding gender, age, race, health (beauty), work (lifestyle), and crime (violence). Although I attempt to exercise objectivity and common sense with all media, it is difficult to not be affected in some way by the underlying messages in television programming and other entertainment. It seems that our perceptions can be influenced through storytelling as Gerbner suggests, "And if you can control the telling of stories, you can control people's concept of the world around them, and even their behavior, because we act in light of how we conceive the world to be" (www.utexas.edu).,

References

Schneider, M., (1), TV World Distorts Real Life Sag Study, Vol. 18, Issue 1, Retrieved May 6, 00 from the UOP Apollo Library, Academic search Premier http// web7.epnet.com

Jensen, D., (18), Sentient Times Alternatives for Personal & Community Transformation, Vol. 6, Issue 11, Retrieved May 6, 00 from the UOP Apollo Library, Academic Search Premier http// web7.epnet.com

University of Texas, Class Bios of George Gerbner, Bio …by Karla Starkweather, Retrieved May 6, 00 from the World Wide Web http//utexas.edu

Gauntlett, D., (1), Ten Things Wrong with the 'Effects Model', Retrieved May 6, 00 from the World Wide Web http//NewMediaStudies.com/effects1.htm

Gerbner, G., (18), Cultivation Theory of Mass Media, Letter from George Gerbner to The Communication Initiative, Retrieved from the World Wide Web http// comminit.com/ctheories/sld-15.html.

Ward, M., (001), Columbine Families Sue Computer Game Makers, Retrieved from the World Wide Web http// http//news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/150.stm

Petracca, M., & Sorapure, M. (18). Common culture Reading and writing about American popular culture (nd ed.). Upper Saddle River Prentice Hall.

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