As scholars in communication have documented, when people are exposed to inordinate amounts of pictures and words detailing alarming events, the natural tendency is to assume these events are routine, normal — and expected
Last weekend, we learned about another tragic mass shooting. This time, at least 11 people thus far have been killed and nine more injured at a dance studio in southern California. And then on Monday, seven people in Half Moon Bay, California were killed in a mass shooting.
The shocking fact is that this latest mass shooting was the 39th in 2023 — and it’s still January. We must ask: Why is the government not enacting more stringent, yet reasonable, gun laws? Some argue that this is due to the influence of the National Rifle Association. Perhaps. But part of the reason also may be that the public has become desensitized by the constant streaming of stories about violence.
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As scholars in communication have documented, when people are exposed to inordinate amounts of pictures and words detailing alarming events, the natural tendency is to assume these events are routine, normal — and expected.
