User:Tikey105!/Mean world syndrome
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Mean world syndrome is a proposed cognitive bias wherein people may perceive the world to be more dangerous than it actually is. This is due to long-term moderate to heavy exposure to violence-related content in mass media. In the early stages of research, mean world syndrome was only discussed as an aftereffect of watching television. However, as the prevalence of media continues to grow in our society, it is becoming increasingly obvious that not only TV but also social media platforms may play a major role in this phenomenon. Media makes it possible for viewers around the world to stay up to date with current news, stay entertained, and consume narratives, whether that is fictional or real. Like the case with many things, the more time spent interacting with and watching, the more of an influence it will have over you.
Proponents of the syndrome, coined by communications professor George Gerbner in the 1970s, assert that television viewers who are exposed to violence-related content can experience increased fear, anxiety, pessimism, and a heightened state of alert in response to perceived threats in the real world. Later studies of mean world syndrome and similar phenomena have continued to uphold that media has the power to directly influence and inform their attitudes, beliefs, and opinions about the world.