Fear mongering is a tactic of cowards and those who thrive on instability. It preys on emotions, exploiting fear to grab attention and manipulate behavior. In today’s world, where media outlets compete for clicks and shares, fear has become the currency of engagement. News is no longer about informing the public—it’s about capturing attention and keeping people hooked.
Buzz words are used to manipulate the reader and elicit an emotional response. Sensationalized headlines, words and phrases are designed to grab a reader’s attention. In a world where the consumers are the product, hyperbole sells and accuracy is lost. Well known public figures, whether for or against, are perpetuating fear tactics by using their larger platforms to spread one-sided information on topics that resonate with a lot of folks who don’t necessarily know the whole story.
It may be hypocritical of me to bash the profession that pays my bills, but sensationalism has long since trumped reality in all forms of communication. Online communication such as social media has exponentially increased the gravity of the sensationalism because of its acceptance as fact. Fear mongering has become their weapon of choice. If you are not paying for a service or product, then your data, attention, or personal information is being collected and used as the “product” that is being sold to advertisers or other companies, essentially making you the commodity instead of the customer. Advertisers want nothing more than the clickbait offered by sensationalized news.
Buzz words and hyperbole are intertwined with facts that benefit the narrative pushed by those that benefit. The internet is, by design, intended to keep people consuming content created with an agenda of commercialism. Advertisers want you engaged so you click that link, or buy that product, so the information is delivered in a way that is guaranteed to elicit a response from the average person. In other words, internet content has no accountability, so news outlets, advertisers, content creators, and posters are guilty of emotional manipulation. They are all in the attention business.
Professional fear mongering
Public figures, politicians, and entertainers have perpetuated fear mongering through their own ignorance or inability to educate themselves by sharing what they found online. Their post goes out to millions of people who then assume the information was vetted and treat it as fact. While it may not be possible to always know real from fake, public figures should at least vet the information they are sharing with the general public in an official capacity.
Like social media, websites are designed with the intention of getting as much traffic as possible. Search Engine Optimization (SEO), which is effectively how Google ranks and displays websites when searched, has specific things it looks for. This includes a power word in the title, a positive or negative stance in the title, a number in both the SEO title and the SEO url. All of the SEO rules are to rank higher on Google to get more clicks.
It’s impossible to combat misinformation online, but fear mongering doesn’t have to be successful. Limit news intake, limit social media, and rejoin your community. If nothing else, be honest with yourself. Ask questions to yourself:Does this affect me or my immediate family personally? If No – move on. If it is not your problem. You will not be part of the solution while acting as a keyboard warrior delivering partial or inaccurate information. If the issue does affect you, ask yourself does it affect you in the moment or in the future. If the answer is the future, then educate yourself on the issue and avoid getting your facts from social media.
Fact checking has become such a taboo topic, but most of the originating content found on social media has corresponding public access which anyone can research. Get in the habit of checking information before you post it from information found offline or from official sources.
There is no excuse for fear mongering. It’s done with the intent to treat users as the product and advertisers as the consumer.
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