Читать книгу The Communication Playbook - Teri Kwal Gamble - Страница 161

Where does most of your news and information come from? For many of us, the answer is from the media, particularly social media. By age 18, 88% get their news from Facebook and other social media.⁶² Unfortunately, online it is easy to find support for any prejudices and false premises we may have. As stories (true and false) are circulated via Facebook, Google, and Twitter, it becomes easy to believe biased or inaccurate information and challenging to distinguish what is true from what is false.⁶³

Pop culture also is a perceptual influencer. Many of the ads presented to us today, for example, contain images of multicultural socializing. The repetition of these ads is bound to have an impact on perceptions of multiculturalism. Although American pop culture may be depicted as increasingly transracial, the portrayals are not necessarily complimentary. When it comes to how Muslims are portrayed, for example, the Council on American-Islamic Relations is concerned that they have become the new media “bad guys,” because they often are shown as neighbors who are terrorists.⁶⁴ If most of our knowledge about Muslims comes from the media, what messages do such portrayals send?

Unfortunately, the more television we view, the more accepting we become of social stereotypes, and the more likely we are to develop unrealistic and limited perceptions of those depicted. According to cultivation theory, because of the media’s ability to influence users’ attitudes and perceptions of reality, the more time we spend watching such offerings, the greater is our chance of developing perceptions that are inconsistent with facts. Heavy viewers are more likely to view the world as a mean and dangerous place and to develop fears that are out of proportion with actual dangers.⁶⁵