Availability cascade

Availability cascade is a self-reinforcing process of collective belief formation by which an expressed perception triggers a chain reaction that gives the perception increasing plausibility through its rising availability in public discourse. The driving mechanism involves a combination of informational and reputational motives: Individuals endorse the perception partly by learning from the apparent beliefs of others and partly by distorting their public responses in the interest of maintaining social acceptance. Availability entrepreneurs- activists who manipulate the content of public discourse- strive to trigger availability cascades likely to advance their agendas. Their availability campaigns may yield social benefits, but sometimes they bring harm, which suggests a need for safeguards.

Pronunciation

/əˌveɪləˈbɪlɪti kæsˈkeɪd/

Etymology

The term "Availability cascade" is derived from two concepts. "Availability" refers to the ease with which a particular idea can be brought to mind. "Cascade" refers to the process by which an idea or belief spreads rapidly among individuals in a network, similar to how a waterfall cascades down a cliff.

Related Terms

Availability heuristic: A mental shortcut that relies on immediate examples that come to a given person's mind when evaluating a specific topic, concept, method or decision.
Cognitive bias: Systematic errors in thinking that affect the decisions and judgments that people make.
Social influence: The change in behavior that one person causes in another, intentionally or unintentionally, as a result of the way the changed person perceives themselves in relation to the influencer, other people and society in general.
Public discourse: The language or conversation that shapes or influences society's understanding of a particular topic or issue.