Addicted to Screens
In a generation that uses technology more than anyone ever has it’s important to understand how our beliefs and actions may be effected. According to a recent study done in 2020, American adults are spending on average 7+ hours browsing on their phone watching their television (Richter, 2021). This is an amazing amount of time for our minds to be influenced heavily by what we watch.
Cultivation Theory Explains the Consequences
Cultivation Theory seeks to understand the influence of TV specifically on our attitudes & behavior. According to our textbook, “Cultivation theory maintains that TV operates as the primary socializing agent in today’s world” and that “people begin to see the world as dangerous and ‘mean'” (Gruman, et al., p.169). Listening to crime podcasts or watching local news about a criminal who has evaded the police leads us to believe that we are more at risk of danger than we actually are.
We saw this during COVID when Americans were at home consuming more TV media. No matter what your beliefs were during the time – COVID exaggerated them. Some people wore HAZMAT suits or wore masks on a hike outside by themselves – things that the CDC never recommended but Americans did on their own due to fear. We also saw this politically as misinformation caused people to distrust the election process and storm the capital on January 6th, 2021 after they were convinced the government announced the wrong president-elect.
The Cultivation Theory also points to concerns about how we are raising the next generation.
Parenting in a ‘Dangerous’ World
Many of us have heard nostalic stories from our parents about the “good old days” when they would play outside, run around the neighborhood, catch a bus by themselves to run an errand and not having to return home until dark or for dinner. Hearing these stories, one would assume that the America we live in today is much less safe than it was back when they grew up. However, looking at Figure 1 you can see that violent crime has not been as low as it is today since the 1970s! However, parenting in the same way would be considered child neglect in the form of inadequate supervision.
Figure 1 (Below) from https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/analysis-opinion/americas-faulty-perception-crime-rates
The perception vs. reality of danger outside of our homes has huge impacts for the way we relate to one another and how we raise our children to interact with the world. I was ready to buy the latest video monitor with a sock that monitored everything from baby’s body temp to their heart rate and blood oxygen levels. The amount of technology that is out there allows us to have an illusion of control over the environment in which we raise our kids. However, this world doesn’t come fully customizable like our phones and we need to teach our children how to interact with the world themselves when it is safe to do so. My generation started to spend more time with helicopter parents who kept their kids indoors or kids who stayed inside playing video games. I truly believe that this time spent behind a screen led to the massive amounts of anxiety, depression and other mental health issues we see today.
As parents, we have to understand that one day our children will be adults and be able to make decisions on their own. The only way we can equip them to do this is if we give them age appropriate independence to help them transition into the world outside – even if watching TV leads us to believe the world is dark and dangerous.
Works Cited:
Eisen, Lauren-Brooke. “America’s Faulty Perception of Crime Rates.” Brennan Center for Justice, 16 Mar. 2016, www.brennancenter.org/our-work/analysis-opinion/americas-faulty-perception-crime-rates.
Gruman, Jamie A., et al. Applied Social Psychology: Understanding and Addressing Social and Practical Problems, SAGE, 2017.
Lukianoff, Greg, and Jonathan Haidt. The Coddling of the American Mind: How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas Are Setting up a Generation for Failure. Penguin Books, 2019.
Richter, Felix. “Infographic: The Generation Gap in TV Consumption.” Statista Infographics, 20 Nov. 2020, www.statista.com/chart/15224/daily-tv-consumption-by-us-adults/.
Tags: Applied social psychology, childhood safety, cultivation theory, media, parenting, television