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 is. This is due to long-term moderate to heavy exposure to violence-related content in mass media. Coined during the television era of the 1970s, mean world syndrome was initially studied as an effect of broadcast media. Subsequent research has shown that social media platforms also play a major role in its spread. Proponents of the syndrome, coined by communications professor George Gerbner in the 1970s, assert that 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. Through the study of mean world syndrome, it was found that media of all sorts has the power to directly influence and inform people's attitudes, beliefs, and opinions about the world.

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