Fear is an emotion, our emotions are based on our own actions and those of others. Fear of crime has perpetuated the paradox of risk and fear that prevails in all societies, regardless of actual levels of crime and safety. “Fear of crime can be considered contagious because social interaction is the mechanism by which fear is shared and chronically worried populations are created. Even those who have never been the victim of a crime may be seriously concerned” (Curiel, 2017). The media does indeed breed fear of crime; The media's socially distorted view of crime actually results in higher levels of fear of crime among populations, despite the fact that these media portrayals very rarely reflect or represent the outside world. An important comparison that should be made in order to answer the question posed in the title is that between research carried out to study the impact/effects of playing violent video games on individuals. There is a distinct relationship between playing video games and watching violence on television, as in both cases individuals watch otherwise unrealistic depictions of violence unfold in front of them. Social media is another sphere through which media engenders fear of crime, as fear of crime depends on a number of varied social factors ranging from race, age, gender, income, 'education ; In order to understand whether fear of crime is generated by the media or whether it is an inevitable consequence of living in a modern society, it is very important to take these other factors into account; in order to produce a complete answer to the question. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the original essay The corrupting nature of media is a problem that society and philosophers have faced since the early Greco-Roman times. Plato set a precedent for a society that would later devolve into debates about the consequences of watching too much television and playing violent video games. He set this precedent by stating that certain plays and poems could have a negative impact on young people and should therefore be burned (Ferguson, 2010). In the 1930s, social research was commissioned based on the links between movie viewing and aggressive behavior (Ferguson, 2010). This research set a precedent for all future research on this topic, in that it revealed a lack of control groups in studies, as well as a difficulty in measuring levels of aggression. Fear of crime exists outside the realm of societal pretensions and is instead an ingrained condition in the human psyche. Levels of crime and safety within any society are clear predictors of levels of fear of crime. Additionally, these predictors could be factors such as past experiences, demographic factors, and perceived insecurity; which has recently emerged as a social problem. Jean Baudrillard's theory of hyperreality will be examined closely to answer the question posed in the title. Fear of crime and hyperreality are associated to the extent that Surette (1998) argues that fiction is closer to current events than to reality, this assertion being based on a study carried out by Mandel (1984) who determined that between 1945 and 1984 more than 10 billion crime thrillers were produced. Cultivation theory is most often used to explain the effects of exposure to certain media and was introduced in the 1970s byGeorge Gerbner. Gerbner's research concluded that heavy exposure to media content could, over an extended period of time, influence individuals' attitudes and behaviors to be "more consistent with the world of television programs than with the world of everyone days” (Chandler 1995). Results from Dowler (2003) indicate that "watching police shows is closely related to fear of crime and perceived police effectiveness." Dowler continues that regular viewers of cop shows are more likely to have "negative attitudes toward police effectiveness, although "regular viewers of cop shows are more likely to be afraid or worry about crime.” Similarly, regular viewers of crime dramas are more likely to have negative attitudes toward police effectiveness, although bivariate analysis indicated that newspapers as a primary source of crime news Crime and television viewing hours were not significantly related to fear of crime, punitive attitudes, or perceptions of the police. “Fear of crime and the media share a relationship that depends on their audience (Heath and Gilbert, 1996). Dowler (2003) reported that local crime news “increased fear among those who lived in the reported area, while not local crime news had the opposite effect” (Albany.edu, 2018 ). Information about local crime has the effect of increasing fear of crime among residents of high-crime neighborhoods. Respondents who watch television and live in high-risk neighborhoods also had higher levels of fear of crime than their counterparts who did not (Dowler, 2003). . Individuals who had already been involved in crimes before watching crime-related TV shows would not be afraid of them afterward, while an individual who had no prior experience of being involved in crimes would be more afraid after watching the news or television series in question (Liska and Baccaglini, 1990). Gerbner et al (1980) found that "the relationship between fear of crime and hours of television watched was strongest among women and Whites"; Gerbner (1980) also pointed out that “women, whites, and older people are more likely to be afraid of crime”; despite their low probability of being victims” (Dowler, 2003). As only a small proportion of individuals have had direct experience with violent crime, the remaining number of individuals without any prior experience have been found to exhibit belief systems that portray the world as worse than it seems. This reinforces the paradox of victimization through fear (McQuivey 1997). The fear victimization paradox is based on a person's ability/inability to control their involvement in violent crime. exists regardless of the likelihood of involvement in a crime, it can occur despite the likelihood that an individual is very likely to be involved in a violent crime "a truck driver in the middle of the night at a rest stop, his fear of crime might not be high because he thinks he has control over such a situation” (Sandman 1993; Sparks and Ogles 1990) posits that “men generally think they do.” can cope with it. Women feel more vulnerable", but in reality, men are more likely to be victims of crime (Bureau of Statistic and Research, 1996). Previous research has suggested that crime information presented in the form of facts and figures has no influence oncrime. Furthermore, media influence is just one of many factors to consider when analyzing the prevalence of fear of crime, whether on an individual or societal basis (McQuivey, 1997). to become victims of crime “because they believe themselves to be more vulnerable” than younger members of society (Carcach et. al., 2001). Their physical fitness and strength have decreased, making them weaker and therefore can be targeted. easy victims because they are less likely to be able to defend themselves (Carcach et. al., 2001) confirmed his previous research in that individuals who watch more television than average had a “higher television viewing rate”. fear of their environment” than those who looked less. More recently, Dowler (2003) reiterated that even when controlling for factors such as race, age, gender, income, education, and marital status, individuals who watch more crime shows tend to have a significantly higher rate of fear of crime (Dowler, 2003). 2003). Dowler then found that hours spent watching television news did not have a significant relationship with higher levels of fear of crime (Dowler, 2003). “Hyperreality serves as a pretext for sociopolitical regression” (Miller, 1997). Eco (1987) posits that the fantasy order of Disneyland is the opposite of that of the rest of the world, depicting a world that is supposed to be real when in reality the United States and the rest of the world as a whole are in reality of hyperreal simulations. An example of this “perfect crime” (Baudrillard, 1995): in 2004, two English children, raised on cartoons, actually climbed into a bear cage and were mutilated to death. By the 1970s, the detective or detective drama had replaced the detective drama. the western is the most popular television program in prime time (Doyle, 2006). The line between criminal entertainment and criminal information has become progressively more blurred in recent years (Dowler, Fleming and Muzzatti, 2006). About half of the newspapers and television programs that people come into contact with deal with crime, justice or deviance (Doyle, 2006). Mass media influence the way people perceive crime; and therefore the images presented to the public differ in appearance from those based on facts and figures represented by the government (Doyle, 2006). (Surette, 2006) then points out that crime in the media has been formatted in such a way that it is portrayed in a way that appears informative and realistic. The research recognizes that "the images people see on television contrast with the world they see", and that as a result, "people's perceptions of crime in the media and in real life are distorted”; people then fall into a hyperrealistic state in which their idealistic conception of reality, described by the media; has replaced real crime (Miller, 1997). Flatly (2010) indicated that contrary to the steady decline in crime since 1995, people still tend to believe that it is increasing. As mentioned, the public's belief in increasing levels of crime can be directly correlated with increased levels of crime portrayal in the media. Fear of crime is something that can be used as a tool in that a certain level of fear of crime is desirable to inspire problem-solving action and motivate those who are afraid to take precautions; “Exaggerated public perceptions of crime risks can also lead to serious distortions in government spending priorities [and in.