{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"PsyberSpace® - we help you understand your world","title":"Why We Keep Falling For Moral Panics","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":1166,"description":"Moral Panics as Effort Shields: Why Outrage Replaces Action\nWhy do we grab onto moral panics so eagerly, and then quietly drop them the moment they stop being convenient? In this episode, host Leslie Poston, Ph.D., introduces the concept of the 'effort shield' and argues that moral panics serve a psychological function most people never examine. Drawing on Stanley Cohen's foundational work, system justification theory, and the Semmelweis effect, she walks through four case studies spanning technology and policy to show how the pattern repeats, who profits from it, and what it costs us. If you've ever wondered why the same cycle of outrage keeps happening without anything actually changing, this one's for you.\n00:00 Stranger Danger to Uber\n01:04 What Moral Panics Do\n02:24 Effort Shields Explained\n05:14 Stranger Danger Myth\n07:58 Video Games Scapegoat\n10:44 Social Media Panic\n12:29 KOSA and Policy Fallout\n13:50 Anti Abortion Effort Shield\n16:42 Pattern Across Examples\n18:01 Why Panics Persist\n18:29 Spotting the Shield\n19:17 Closing and Subscribe","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/tfTZRMl-qAeSUK8tWME-JVPi2fZ9cCSCIKffGPEXHOY/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS9zaG93/LzUxMjc3LzE3MTEx/Njg4NjYtYXJ0d29y/ay5qcGc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}