Cultivation Theory in the Digital Age: A Critical Review of Its Evolution, Application, and Reconceptualization (2005–2025)

Cultivation Theory, a seminal framework developed by George Gerbner to explain the long-term, cumulative effects of television on audiences’ perceptions of social reality, has undergone profound theoretical and methodological challenges since the dawn of the 21st century. This critical literature review meticulously examines the evolution, application, and necessary reconceptualization of Cultivation Theory during the period of digital media ascendancy (2005-2025). The analysis charts the theory’s conceptual trajectory from a broadcast-centric model, contingent on message system redundancy, to its contemporary applications within a fragmented, interactive, and algorithmically curated media ecosystem. Recent meta-analytic evidence confirms that social media exposure yields a small but statistically significant cultivation effect, affirming the theory’s continued relevance. However, the foundational mechanisms of “mainstreaming” and “resonance” require significant re-evaluation. This review argues they are being transformed into processes of “niche-streaming” within digital “echo chambers” and technologically accelerated resonance within “filter bubbles.” A central argument of this paper is the emergence of algorithmic curation as a novel and powerful institutional storyteller, supplanting the centralized narrative function of broadcast television and introducing new complexities to cultivation dynamics. By synthesizing two decades of empirical studies and theoretical critiques, this paper posits that while the core premise of cultivation—that media shapes perceptions of reality—remains salient, its operative processes and societal outcomes have been fundamentally altered. The review concludes by proposing a forward-looking research agenda focused on the implications of AI-driven synthetic media and immersive technologies, underscoring the theory’s enduring, albeit dynamically evolving, explanatory power.