Moral Panic

Moral panic as a concept describes the way in which society perceives and responds to a particular (usually deviant) behavior and the impact such a response can have on the actors and their conduct. Examples of moral panics include concerns about witchcraft, terrorism, rap music’s connection to delinquency, surveillance, homosexuality, and even video games.

Principally, according to the moral panic concept, something or someone is perceived and defined as a threat to the community or to values that society holds in high esteem. The media then reinforce the societal depiction of the act or actors and amplify the danger or significance to societal demise. As a result of the media reports, public [Page 633]concern regarding the acts or actors quickly increases. Then, in an effort to ...