Mean World Syndrome is a phenomenon where the violence-related content of mass media convinces viewers that the world is more dangerous than it actually is, and prompts a desire for more protection than is warranted by any actual threat.[1] Mean World Syndrome is one of the main conclusions of cultivation theory. The term was coined by George Gerbner, a pioneer researcher on the effects of television on society, when he noted that people who watched a large amount of television tended to think of the world as an intimidating and unforgiving place. [2]
Individuals who watch television infrequently and adolescents who talk to their parents about reality are said to have a more accurate view of the real world than those who do not, and they are able to more accurately assess their vulnerability to violence. They also tend to have a wider variety of beliefs and attitudes.[3]
Political strategists can take advantage of voters suffering from this syndrome to sway them. For example, critics and some supporters of George W. Bush accused Bush's supporters, most notably the Swift Boat Veterans For Truth, of using a FUD-based campaign in the 2004 U.S. presidential election.[4] Perhaps the most famous example is Anita Bryant's successful 1977 Save Our Children campaign to repeal a Florida ordinance which outlawed discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.[5]
See also
- FUD factor: Fear, uncertainty and doubt
- Appeal to fear
- For the children (politics)
- The terrorists have won
- Cultivation theory
- Missing white woman syndrome
References
- ^ Gerbner, G., Gross, L., Morgan, M., Signorielli, N., & Shanahan, J. (2002). Growing up with television: Cultivation processes. In J. Bryant & D. Zillmann (Eds.), Media effects: Advances in theory and research (2nd ed., pp. 43-67). Mahwah, N J: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc.
- ^ George Gerbner Leaves the Mean World SyndromePosted by: lex on http://PEJ.org Sunday, January 08, 2006, Peace, Earth & Justice News
- ^ OrgeonLive: "The 'mean-world' syndrome: Despite the horror of child abductions, reality is a less threatening place than the world of television"
- ^ "The Anti-Kerry FUD". The Blog That Goes Ping. 2004-10-30. http://www.goesping.org/archives/2004/10/30/the-anti-kerry-fud/. Retrieved 2006-12-30.
- ^ http://www.pbs.org/outofthepast/past/p5/1977.html
External links
- Gerbner: "Reclaiming Our Cultural Mythology: Television's global marketing strategy creates a damaging and alienated window on the world."
- Daniel Chandler's Cultivation Theory
 |
This science article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
