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Know It All - Raised by Screens: How Media Shapes Our Reality
When an Iranian cleric suggested the U.S. had no real heroes outside of Spiderman and SpongeBob, it raised a provocative question: what happens when a nation’s identity is built on fictional media? In this episode, Ross Briese dives into cultivation theory—a concept that explores how the media we consume subtly (and not so subtly) shapes how we see the world. From TikTok to prestige TV, we unpack how characters, platforms, and advertisers blend into a “synthetic reality” that blurs the line between truth and fiction. Whether you're watching reality TV or doom-scrolling on your phone, this 5-minute-deep dive will change the way you think about media—because it might already be changing the way you think.
Listen now to learn how George Gerbner’s theory still applies in the TikTok era.
About the Host:
Ross Briese is a Communications and Media Studies major at the Community College of Baltimore County with aspirations of becoming an investigative journalist. This episode of Know-It-All was created as part of the MCOM 111: Introduction to Mass Media course, taught by Professor Beth Baunoch. Ross explores cultivation theory to examine how the media we consume not only reflects life but also transforms it. He was particularly inspired by Raziye Nevzat’s article, Reviving Cultivation Theory for Social Media (2018), which reimagines George Gerbner’s theory in the context of today’s internet-driven culture.
References
Bansinath, B. (2024 March 25). What We Know About the Mommy Vlogger Accused of Child Abuse. The Cut. https://www.thecut.com/article/ruby-franke-utah-mommy-vlogger-pleads-guilty-to-child-abuse.html
Contreras, R. (2023 May 1). Nearly 75% of Chinese Americans Reported Discrimination in Past Year. Axios. https://www.axios.com/2023/05/01/chinese-americans-report-racial-discrimination-asian-hate#
Gerbner, G. (1987). Television’s Populist Brew: The Three Bs. Institute of General Semantics, 44(1). https://web.asc.upenn.edu/gerbner/Asset.aspx?assetID=1636
Givebutter. (2024 January). #HoistTheAds. https://givebutter.com/c/hoisttheads
Marat, E. (2020 January 6). Iran Cleric: We Have No Good Revenge Targets, Only US Heroes Are SpongeBob and Spider-Man. The Mind Unleashed. https://themindunleashed.com/2020/01/iran-cleric-we-have-no-good-revenge-targets-only-us-heroes-are-spongebob-and-spider-man.html
Morgan, M. (1995). The Critical Contribution of George Gerbner, in John Lent (Ed.), A Different Road Taken (1st ed., pp. 99-117). Westview Press. https://web.asc.upenn.edu/gerbner/Asset.aspx?assetID=2765
Nevzat, R. (2018). Reviving Cultivation Theory for Social Media. The Asian Conference on Media, Communication, and Film. https://papers.iafor.org/wp-content/uploads/papers/mediasia2018/MediAsia2018_42554.pdf
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By WYPR 88.1 FM Baltimore/The Students at the Community College of Baltimore CountyWhen an Iranian cleric suggested the U.S. had no real heroes outside of Spiderman and SpongeBob, it raised a provocative question: what happens when a nation’s identity is built on fictional media? In this episode, Ross Briese dives into cultivation theory—a concept that explores how the media we consume subtly (and not so subtly) shapes how we see the world. From TikTok to prestige TV, we unpack how characters, platforms, and advertisers blend into a “synthetic reality” that blurs the line between truth and fiction. Whether you're watching reality TV or doom-scrolling on your phone, this 5-minute-deep dive will change the way you think about media—because it might already be changing the way you think.
Listen now to learn how George Gerbner’s theory still applies in the TikTok era.
About the Host:
Ross Briese is a Communications and Media Studies major at the Community College of Baltimore County with aspirations of becoming an investigative journalist. This episode of Know-It-All was created as part of the MCOM 111: Introduction to Mass Media course, taught by Professor Beth Baunoch. Ross explores cultivation theory to examine how the media we consume not only reflects life but also transforms it. He was particularly inspired by Raziye Nevzat’s article, Reviving Cultivation Theory for Social Media (2018), which reimagines George Gerbner’s theory in the context of today’s internet-driven culture.
References
Bansinath, B. (2024 March 25). What We Know About the Mommy Vlogger Accused of Child Abuse. The Cut. https://www.thecut.com/article/ruby-franke-utah-mommy-vlogger-pleads-guilty-to-child-abuse.html
Contreras, R. (2023 May 1). Nearly 75% of Chinese Americans Reported Discrimination in Past Year. Axios. https://www.axios.com/2023/05/01/chinese-americans-report-racial-discrimination-asian-hate#
Gerbner, G. (1987). Television’s Populist Brew: The Three Bs. Institute of General Semantics, 44(1). https://web.asc.upenn.edu/gerbner/Asset.aspx?assetID=1636
Givebutter. (2024 January). #HoistTheAds. https://givebutter.com/c/hoisttheads
Marat, E. (2020 January 6). Iran Cleric: We Have No Good Revenge Targets, Only US Heroes Are SpongeBob and Spider-Man. The Mind Unleashed. https://themindunleashed.com/2020/01/iran-cleric-we-have-no-good-revenge-targets-only-us-heroes-are-spongebob-and-spider-man.html
Morgan, M. (1995). The Critical Contribution of George Gerbner, in John Lent (Ed.), A Different Road Taken (1st ed., pp. 99-117). Westview Press. https://web.asc.upenn.edu/gerbner/Asset.aspx?assetID=2765
Nevzat, R. (2018). Reviving Cultivation Theory for Social Media. The Asian Conference on Media, Communication, and Film. https://papers.iafor.org/wp-content/uploads/papers/mediasia2018/MediAsia2018_42554.pdf