Cultivation Theory

According to Cultivation Theory, television viewers are cultivated to view reality similarly to what they watch on television.  No one-television show gets credit for this effect. Instead, the medium of television gets the credit.  Television shows are mainstream entertainment, which are easily accessed, and usually smoothly understood.  They provide a means by which people are socialized into the society.  Television seeks to show and reinforce commonalities among us, so those who regularly watch television tend to see the world in the way television portrays it.  Compared to actual demographics, women, minorities, upper class, and lower-class people are under-represented on television shows. At the same time, the percent of people who work in law enforcement and violent crime are over-represented. People who are heavy watchers of television process this information and believe that the world is a dangerous, scary place where others can't be trusted.  Heavy television watchers also confuse the differences between social groups such as the poor and the rich, urban and rural populations, and different racial groups.   Not everyone is successfully cultivated by television. Those who watch little television are not affected. Likewise, people who talk about what they see, especially adolescents who talk with their parents, are less likely to alter their view of reality to match what they see on television. 

Cultivation Theory, I feel, is very valid.  Everyday we are exposed to numerous advertisements, whether on television, newspaper, Internet etc.  Regardless of what media is presenting the ad, the end goal is to inform, persuade and hopefully influence its viewer to lean towards a certain cause or product.  As a designer, it is part of our jobs to create new and innovative ways to create, produce and disseminate this information.