cybervampira
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Texas high school shooting prompts talk of 'contagion effect'
Researchers who have studied American mass shootings have found evidence of a contagion effect. In the two weeks after a mass shooting or school shooting, one 2015 study found, there is an elevated likelihood that another mass shooting or school shooting will take place.
About 20% to 30% of the incidents studied appeared to be inspired by contagion, said the lead author of the paper, Sherry Towers, a professor at Arizona State University who specializes in mathematical and computational modeling.
The idea that were spiraling out of control in school shootings is perhaps not supported by the data, she said. That being said, the US per capita has a far higher rate of school shootings compared to any other developed country.
But Towers said that while it was important to acknowledge the contagion effect in mass shootings, to focus only on media coverage and the way some shootings appear inspired by previous attacks was to miss other crucial risk factors.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/may/19/santa-fe-high-school-shooting-contagion-effectStates that had a lower prevalence of gun ownership had a lower per capita rate of mass shootings, so its not just a contagion effect.
Just focusing on the media component of contagion is missing the entire story. And focusing on one aspect of it is not going to yield a solution.