Online original TV series: Examining portrayals of violence in popular binge-watched programs and social reality perceptions.

Abstract

Cultivation theory asserts that heavy exposure to universal themes on TV lead viewers to see the world in ways that parallel TV. This research applies cultivation theory to a contemporary context by considering portrayals of violence in online original TV series. In Study 1, a content analysis of commonly binge-watched online original TV programs revealed 5.9 violent instances per hour, generally characterized as explicit, serious, significant, graphic, and intentional. Moral justification of violence was rare; however, those who engaged in justified violence were frequently White perpetrators. While non-White females were more likely to be targets of sexual violence, non-White males were more likely to be perpetrators of sexual violence. Study 2 found that exposure to these commonly binge-watched online original TV programs was positively related to mean world perceptions and negatively related to kind world perceptions, suggesting that heavier viewers of these programs are more likely to view others as unkind and less likely to perceive them as altruistic. Implications for violence in online streaming TV are discussed. Public Policy Relevance Statement This two-part study aims to understand the representations of violence in contemporary digital TV as well as the viewers' perceptions of the real world. Study 1 revealed that the online original series sampled portrayed intense, graphic violence with problematic representations of race and gender. Findings of Study 2 suggest that viewers who spend more time consuming commonly binge-watched online original programming are more likely to see others in the world as mean and less likely to perceive them as altruistic.

Solving the puzzle of null violent media effects.

“…Violence is a common theme in video games (Hartmann et al, 2014) as well as in other forms of entertainment media, including TV programs (Hetsroni, 2007; Krongard & Tsay-Vogel, 2020), films (Bushman et al, 2013), music videos (Martin & Collins, 2002), and even advertisements (Jones et al, 2014). Indeed, violence is a common theme even in media rated as appropriate for children, such as in E-rated video games for “Everyone” (Thompson & Haninger, 2001) and in G-rated films for “General Audiences” (Yokota & Thompson, 2000).…”

„Streaming trap – the occurrence of the phenomenom of binge-watching and the mean world syndrome: a narrative review”

“…Their observations confirmed that watched content influences the perception of reality [6]. In 1969, George Gebner proposed a cultivation theory in which intense exposure to universal themes on television leads viewers to perceive the world as depicted on screen [7]. A decade later, the researcher and his team observed the so-called 'mean world syndrome', which is associated with higher levels of anxiety and a pessimistic perception of reality in people exposed to violent content [8] [9].…”

“…The first aspect determines the frequency, e.g., determining the number of crimes, and the second aspect determines the probability of given events, e.g., feeling how likely a person is to be a victim of violence [19,20]. In the 70's and 80's of the twentieth century, violence accounted for 80% of the time of television programmes during prime time, so it was thought that a viewer who watched television for a large proportion of the time might perceive the world as a more violent, ruthless and crimeridden place, and at the same time might show a higher level of aggression himself [7,19].…”

“…Attention wa spaid to the total number of watched programs, which averaged 0.59 hours for television and 2.06 hours for streaming platforms. Viewers perceiving the world as a more dangerous place, watched more episodes of the above series per day and spent more time watching streaming portals [7]. Crime series were also analysed, such as: NCIS, Law and Order, Criminal Minds, and CSI, in terms of viewership and impact on viewer's belief in crime vulnerability.…”

Evaluation of USVreact: A Staff Training Program to Prevent Sexual Violence at Universities

“…While the prevalence in Italy is far lower—30% according to the EU-Project (2012)—there are worrying signals of a culture that seriously underrates many forms of sexual violence in society at large and in university settings. Newspaper reports, television programs, and posts on social networks show that sexual violence is often treated as a joke or attributed to provocations by the victim (Krongard, & Tsay-Vogel, 2018; Maass et al, 2003; Ward, 2016).…”