Social contagion effect

Public sharing of school violence content should cease to prevent social contagion effects leading to copycat incidents.

“Social contagion refers to the spread of behaviours or ideas within groups, potentially driving further violent acts if such acts are sensationalised”

Kuching school attack

Police arrested a male student over alleged axe and penknife attack on a teacher at Kuching international school.

Social media hashtags

Posts with #viralkan and #fyp hashtags boost algorithm visibility and generate shares and income for posters.

Ethical reporting needed

Experts urge adoption of ethical, non-sensationalist reporting like the 'Don’t Name Them' movement to focus on victims.

“Ethical reporting, like the 'Don’t Name Them' movement, should be adopted to focus on victims rather than perpetrators”

Social contagion theory

Social contagion is a psychological phenomenon where behaviours, emotions, or ideas spread quickly through groups.

“Social contagion refers to the spread of behaviours or ideas within groups, potentially driving further violent acts if such acts are sensationalised”

US studies on school shootings

A 2015 US study found mass killings were motivated by similar events in the immediate past with temporary probability increase lasting 13 days.

“On average, this temporary increase in probability lasts 13 days”

Malaysian context

Malaysia has no strict gun laws but anything can be weaponised with intent and sufficient force.

Call to action

Malaysians must stop sharing school violence photos and videos to prevent social contagion effects.