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This is a main example of how media affects mass hysteria. The reason for this is when something is in the media it becomes believed by the general public even though it is not true. And once something like aliens on earth becomes believed by the public it is due to bring chaos. Also, when something is in the media it can reach more people quicker, which can bring hysteria to a large area within hours or even minutes. Mass Hysteria after War of the Worlds Broadcast On October 30, 1938, a small theater group convinced over a million Americans through a radio broadcast that Aliens were invading the planet. This soon led to the mass hysteria of the “War of the Worlds.” Matt Loether This example of mass hysteria relates to The Crucible in that the main cause was fear of an outside force. In the Salem Witch Trials the people were afraid of Satan and in The War of the Worlds they were afraid of aliens. This fear causes people to act crazy and causes paranoia which leads to selfish decisions. To prevent mass hysterias such as the War of the Worlds and the Salem Witch Trials, the best thing to do as an individual is to not make decisions based off fear. Instead, use basic reasoning and even find out the truth about what you are even scared of in the first place.