Cultivation is a powerful force in media today. Cultivation theory states that those who see something in media are more likely to think that thing will happen to them. They begin to see that thing as normal, and tolerate it as a regular occurrence. This begins to change the way they view the world, as they perceive the dramatized events as commonplace. Media "cultivates" a skewed view of reality among those who consume it.
The constant media coverage of terrorism and terrorist actions, especially post-9/11, has cultivated a great fear of terrorism in some people. The consistent coverage leads people to believe that it is always happening everywhere, and that it will happen to them next. People see terrorism in the media very frequently, on the news, in movies such as the recent Salt, and TV shows such as 24. This leads then to believe it will happen to them.
For lack of a better example video, here's a montage of the character Jack Bauer from 24. To a certain degree, this shows how this extremely popular show focuses and normalizes terrorism. Also it's pretty funny.
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