Constant Crisis Mode: How Continuous Media Exposure Fuels Societal Anxiety

Modern life is marked by an almost uninterrupted flow of alarming information, a dynamic that researchers describe as a shift from isolated episodes of fear to a sustained state of collective anxiety. Studies examining the past two decades of global events—terrorism, financial upheavals, extreme weather, and the COVID-19 pandemic—conclude that round-the-clock media coverage intensifies personal feelings of vulnerability even when individuals are geographically distant from the actual danger.

The transformation of risk perception

Sociologist Ulrich Beck argued in 2006 that industrialized societies were entering a “world risk” phase in which hazards are increasingly global rather than local. Subsequent work by Paola Rebughini in 2021 indicated that this change has normalized anxiety in Western cultures, particularly during large-scale crises such as the recent pandemic. Instead of responding to immediate threats, people now devote sustained attention to preventing theoretical future disasters, creating what Beck called a permanent state of anticipation.

Media saturation as a driving force

Research consistently links heavy media consumption with elevated anxiety levels. During the COVID-19 outbreak, Garfin, Holman, and Fischhoff (2022) found that Americans who followed pandemic news intensively reported higher general anxiety than those who limited exposure. Comparable results emerged in Europe: Vacondio and colleagues (2021) observed that extensive media use corresponded with greater worry and a higher likelihood of adopting protective behaviors, while Lanciano et al. (2020) connected risk perception in Italy to broader psychological distress unrelated to infection itself.

Earlier studies of terrorism offer similar patterns. Rogers et al. (2007) concluded that indirect media exposure can produce social and psychological effects comparable to direct experience. Sheppard, Rubin, and Wardman (2006) noted that vivid imagery and urgent language increase an individual’s perception of vulnerability even when objective risk remains statistically low.

The cascade of overlapping crises

Since the early 2000s, global audiences have confronted a sequence of disruptive events: the post-9/11 war on terror, successive financial market shocks, accelerating climate-related disasters, and the worldwide spread of COVID-19. Each episode left a residual psychological imprint before the next emerged, creating what researchers describe as “cascading crises.” Rubaltelli, Tedaldi, and Orabona (2020) demonstrated that this accumulation shapes health-related decision-making, while Kruglanski, Gunaratna, and Ellenberg (2020) showed that extremist groups exploit periods of uncertainty to reinforce danger narratives within political discourse.

The result is a fragile sense of safety unconfined by geography. Digital technologies deliver real-time images of a bombing abroad or a wildfire on another continent, and the human nervous system responds as though the threat were immediate. Over time, repeated activation of this alert response contributes to chronic hyper-vigilance, a condition Albertson and Gadarian (2015) link to shifts in democratic behavior; anxious citizens become more susceptible to emotive messaging and may evaluate leaders differently under perceived hostile conditions.

Imagem: Internet

Variations in resilience

Although persistent alertness is widespread, not everyone experiences the same level of distress. Studies summarized by Wolff and Larsen (2014) indicate that risk perceptions can stabilize after an initial shock, suggesting the presence of adaptive mechanisms. Nonetheless, the baseline of what constitutes “normal” safety remains negotiable and highly personal, shaped by ongoing exposure to global threats.

Statistical reality versus subjective risk

Historical data reveal that certain forms of violence and disease have declined over the long term, yet public perception moves in the opposite direction. Researchers attribute this paradox to the continuous availability of crisis information. As the World Health Organization notes, constant media engagement can magnify perceived danger and contribute to mental-health challenges, underscoring the gap between objective metrics and individual anxiety.

Interconnected factors sustaining alarm

The perpetually on-alert mindset arises from an interaction among technological reach, political communication, and the inherent uncertainty of transnational hazards such as climate change. Scholars suggest that eliminating all risk is unrealistic; instead, understanding how information systems shape perception may allow societies to moderate fear responses while still addressing genuine threats.

The past twenty years demonstrate that the line between distant catastrophe and personal concern has blurred. Absent a fundamental change in how global events are reported and shared, the prevailing condition of permanent alarm is likely to persist, influencing public behavior, policy preferences, and mental health in ways researchers are only beginning to map.