Terror may be used by enemies during wartime, but fear can be as close as the nearest television.
"The media doesn't just straight up report facts, they create a narrative for people to pay attention to," said William Ferris, professor of communication. "Sometimes the easiest way to do that is to create something scary."
A recent event used by many media outlets is the 2012 doomsday scenario.
"Just wait for them to start exploiting 2012," said Paul Simmons, senior in civil engineering. "Once the elections are over that is all we will hear about. They've been building this doomsday up for the past 20 years."
In July 2001, a string of shark attacks and sightings led to numerous stories that became known as the "Summer of the Shark."
"Statistically there were no more shark attacks that year than any other, but that's not a story," Ferris said. "They never said that shark attacks were on the rise, but they never said they weren't.They were scaring the public to pay attention to the story."
Simmons said there is not enough news in the world for multiple 24-hour news networks, and any bit of frightening news is blown out of proportion.
A common way the media grabs public attention is with a story that has a close proximity to the reader, whether on an emotional or physical level.
"Whether it's news reporting or a movie, if you make people care about the person in danger it's going to affect the audience," Ferris said. "The more invested the movie, TV or news can make you into that character, the more the audience will be scared."
Fear can be used at the right time and is sometimes appropriate, as in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
"That was scary news. They didn't go over the top in trying to scare us," Ferris said. "But the fact that the story happened is scary, and that's an appropriate time to use scare tactics."
David Sutton, professor of communication, said the overuse of the word crisis is a common tool used by media outlets today to grab the viewer's attention and keep them watching.
"I do wonder why I keep seeing the word crisis, like the child obesity crisis and global warming crisis," Sutton said. "For me, crisis is imminent destruction--if we don't do something about it we're finished."
Sutton cited a 2009 Welsh public service announcement which showed three girls in a car accident in gory detail.
The purpose of the announcement was to warn against texting and driving, and it used the fear of death and fear of the loss of health to make its point.
The ad sparked much debate, but had a profound effect on its viewers, Sutton said.
William Buskist, professor of psychology, said fear in the hands of the media and politicians can create doubt.
"A lot of people do not function well under conditions of uncertainty," Buskist said. "They worry about the future in all sorts of ways."
Fear used in the media grabs and holds attention in the audience by creating a sense of uncertainty, Buskist said.
The particular news source presenting the information becomes the place viewers return to for answers.
"All anyone has to do is to create a perception that something bad will happen," Buskist said. "A famous quote that I like along these lines is 'power perceived is power achieved.'"
Do you like this story? The Plainsman doesn't accept money from tuition or student fees, and we don't charge a subscription fee. But you can donate to support The Plainsman.
