The mean world syndrome
- Date
2010
- Main contributors
Earp, Jeremy; Morris, Scott
- Summary
-
For years, debates have raged among scholars, politicians, and concerned parents about the effects of media violence on viewers. Too often these debates have descended into simplistic battles between those who claim that media messages directly cause violence and those who argue that activists exaggerate the impact of media exposure altogether. The Mean World Syndrome, based on the groundbreaking work of media scholar George Gerbner, urges us to think about media effects in more nuanced ways. Ranging from Hollywood movies and prime-time dramas to reality programming and the local news, the film examines how media violence forms a pervasive cultural environment that cultivates in heavy viewers, especially, a heightened state of insecurity, exaggerated perceptions of risk and danger, and a fear-driven propensity for hard-line political solutions to social problems. A provocative and accessible introduction to cultivation analysis, media effects research, and the subject of media influence and media violence more generally.
- Contributors
Gerbner, George; Morgan, Michael, 1953 Apr. 15-; Jhally, Sut
- Publisher
Media Education Foundation
- Genre
Documentary films
- Subjects
Broadcasting, Communications; TV, Film; Violence in mass media; Terrorism in mass media
- Locations
North America; United States; Massachusetts; Northampton
- Collection
Films@UM
- Unit
Distinctive Media Collections
- Language
English
- Rights Statement
- In Copyright
- Terms of Use
Access is restricted to patrons at the University of Maryland.
- Physical Description
52 minutes; color
- Notes
Films @ UM
Access
Access condition: campus-only.
- Other Identifiers
Filename: lms-090496; Fedora 2 PID: umd:76515; Handle Identifier: hdl:1903.1/10697; Catalog Key: alephsys003884868; OCLC: ocn656877682
Access Restrictions
This item is accessible by: collection staff, users in specific IP Ranges.