According to a new research published in the journal Psychology of Popular Media Culture, “Binge-watching” episodes of the popular Netflix shows that portray violence is contributing to “mean world syndrome”.
About:
For the study, the researchers from Boston University College of Communication looked at five most commonly binge-watched online TV series — all of which were Netflix original shows: House of Cards, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Marco Polo, Bloodline and Daredevil.
They found that violence in the top-streamed shows was very prevalent, graphic and intentional.
And the more hours one spent on watching these online series, it is more likely that the viewer saw the world as a mean and scary place.
Mean world syndrome:
History: The term was coined by George Gerbner (1919 – 2005) was a professor of communication and the founder of cultivation theory. Mean world syndrome is one of the main conclusions of cultivation theory.
Meaning: It is described as a phenomenon whereby violence-related content of mass media makes viewers believe that the world is more dangerous than it actually is.
Gerbner once said: "You know, who tells the stories of a culture really governs human behaviour. It used to be the parent, the school, the church, the community. Now it's a handful of global conglomerates that have nothing to tell, but a great deal to sell."
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