The Use of Violence in Media: Economics of Violence, the Ideological Violence of Media and an Evaluation in Retrospect of Cultivation Theory

Abstract

The main focus of this study is violence used in the media. Especially today for Turkey, the heavy use of violence in the media is an important problem. Indeed, the mass media coverage is loaded with violence. However, it is hard to say that so far there is enough research done on this issue. In the study, first, we showed that the researches done within the scope of effect problem do not provide adeaquate answers to the question of why media use so much violence. This is suitable for the main argument and the purpose of the article. Later, in order to understand the violence used in the media, we explain the media / the subject of media violence economy, media's ideological violence approach and cultivation theory and suggest the research areas. In order to properly understand the economics of media/violence, there is the need to understand important economic concepts of economies of scale and scope. Before that, it is important to know why violence is used in the media. The ideological violence of the media is suitable for analyzing the meaning and contains the total content of the media. Cultivation theory considers the production, content and consumption dimensions of the media. For this reason, having a knowledge about these three areas and conducting research in these fields will contribute to the field of communication. It is considered that this paper will mostly contribute to the new researchers in this field.