MEDIA EFFECTS ON DIVORCE ATTITUDES: Breaking the Taboo

The taboo associated with divorce has decreased among young adults. What was once a silent issue has become a more casual topic of discussion, with some discourse transcending onto social media sites. Research has shown that media and the act of divorce have a positive measurable relationship. However, understanding the role of the media in the shaping of divorce perceptions and the weakening of taboos, should be a precursor to expanding the literature in this area. Using cultivation theory as a framework, this thesis found that while media's glamorization of divorce through television programs and celebrity news had an effect on divorce perceptions, overall television consumption yields a more significant correlation. It was supportively hypothesized that a high intake of television correlates to a more positive attitude of divorce.