Mediepanikk eller medieskepsis? – En analyse av dataspilldebatten etter 22. juli

Abstract

Abstract This is an analysis of the public debate around Anders Behring Breivik’s use of computer games before his terrorist attack in Norway on 22 July 2011. The claim that computer games have been formative for the terrorist has led to criticism of these games, some of it with strong emotional power but with short-term consequences only. With this debate as vantage point, the article critically discusses the concept «media panic». The analysis shows that the debate about computer games after 22 July includes aspects not covered by the traditional understanding of media panic and that many of the criteria generally associated with this concept are absent.

Keywords

• Mediepanikk
• World of Warcraft
• Call of Duty
• Dataspill
• WorldofWarcraft
• CallofDuty