All aboard the cultivation cruise line!

Within the past century, mass media exposure of world views has had significant effects on audience members and their beliefs of what "reality" is, a phenomenon that can be explained by George Gerbner’s Cultivation Theory.

Cultivation theory argues that the more the media exposes a certain message, view, or idea to the audience, the more likely they are to believe that the content is real. In this way, cultivation theory is connected with the theory of agenda setting. The decision of a media gatekeeper to cover a particular story in the news can affect the audience's views of the world depending on the exposure to audience members. If stories about violence receive heavy exposure in the media, it is likely that audience members will believe that violence rates are high, therefore affecting their view of how safe (or unsafe) the world is outside of their homes. It should be noted, however, that this theory applies more to heavy viewers who watch television and read the news often than those who occasionally merely glance over the headlines.

After observing the effects that media exposure has on audience members, it comes as no surprise that media outlets apply cultivation theory in advertisements for vacation destinations. Take, for example, Carnival Cruise Lines. Their commercials for highlight all of the captivating and beautiful aspects of a tropical getaway in hopes of attracting customers to purchase tickets for a cruise. If you visit the Carnival website and view the photo gallery, the pictures all depict crystal blue ocean waters, ancient architecture, and palm trees with hammocks. Very relaxing, right? Nothing could go wrong, right? After being exposed to that enough, audience viewers will believe that that is what the Caribbean is, and they'll be more inclined to purchase cruise tickets from Carnival. 

Beautiful, ain't it?!

I know from personal experience, however, that the tropical cruises are not all about sun and white sand beaches depicted in the media. Many areas in the Caribbean outside of the "picturesque" tourist centers are quite destitute, and there are many people living in little more than shanties made of plywood and cardboard. These areas, of course, are left out of the advertisements, so people may be genuinely surprised at these sights. 

http://www.hiddencancun.com/rivergirl/2009/06/07/poverty-in-cancun/