CULTIVATING REALITY: LONG-TERM EFFECTS OF TELEVISION NEWS ON PUBLIC PERCEPTION

Abstract

Television news remains one of the most influential sources of information shaping public understanding of social reality, particularly in contexts characterized by political uncertainty, risk, and crisis. Drawing on cultivation theory, this study examines the long-term effects of television news consumption on public perceptions of social reality, including perceptions of crime, political trust, social cohesion, and institutional credibility. While early cultivation research focused largely on entertainment television, this paper extends the theory to contemporary television news by synthesizing empirical literature and proposing a structured analytical framework for understanding how repeated exposure to news narratives cultivates shared perceptions over time. Through a systematic review of foundational and applied studies, the paper argues that television news contributes to a gradual, cumulative shaping of reality by emphasizing specific frames, tones, and symbolic representations. The findings underscore the relevance of cultivation processes in news environments marked by sensationalism, fear-based reporting, and episodic framing. The study contributes to media effects research by integrating cultivation theory with framing and agenda-setting perspectives, offering a comprehensive model for analyzing long-term perceptual outcomes of television news exposure.