The Mass Production of Fear

Alert! Theft reported less than 4.24 miles away!

Fear is jumping out of my email.

Alert: Assault reported less than 5.18 miles from your home

Whoever is behind Neighborhood Alerts, I beg you. Please. Your emails are frightening me. More accurately, they are making me feel that life is terribly dangerous in the neighborhoods around Mom’s last home.

Author’s screen capture of his email. Two weeks of neighborhood alerts.

I’m going to turn your alerts off as soon as Mom’s estate is settled. Until then, can you please tone it down?

I know you are thinking, “It’s just data. We are simply reporting the facts to make you more informed.”

Alert: Burglary reported less than 4.67 miles from your home

Facts. Yes. But so-called “facts” can be based upon data that is not always true. And that data doesn’t always transform into quality information. Data spit up all over our news feeds is far more likely to inspire dread, fear, and misinformation than real understanding. Even deeply organized, summarized data can mean virtually nothing.

“Lies, damned lies, and statistics.” — Mark Twain, Chapters From My Autobiography, 1907, and many prominent folks before him