Blog Post 2 - Cultivation

The National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign states on their website that “teen attitudes about risky behaviors can be influenced by media messages and consumption” This quote was referring to the positive effects of anti drug campaigns, but unfortunately the converse is true as well. Cultivation theory suggests that frequent exposure to certain elements of media molds viewers’ perception of reality, and can lead to the belief that these events are more prevalent than they actually are. In psychology, this is known as the availability heuristic.

Data from a 2002 study shows that only 23% of college students are frequent high-risk drinkers. This number is much lower than many would tend to think. I believe that this disparity is the result of movies and TV shows which consistently depict college students as heavy drinkers. This over expectation of drinking actually generates more drinking, creating a vicious cycle revolving around misperceptions of social norms. Anti-drug campaigns like Above the Influence work hard to offset this misperception that their counterparts help to create.