Brisbane residents tended to believe posts on their community Facebook pages,University of Queensland senior lecturer Dr Renee Zahnow found,which often led them to think their area had a higher rate of crime.
Zahnow said the posts created a false impression of criminal or deviant behaviours that were often reports of minor incidents.
She said most people relied on Facebook or other online platforms to gauge how unsafe their suburb was.
“It might be something super minor,like someone’s knocked their bins over or someone’s said a cat ran through their yard,because they’re feeling agitated about it,” she said.
“So,what that can do is create a sense of panic,that ‘everything’s really out of control in my neighbourhood’.
“The issue is that it is virtual exposure or vicarious experiences,which means it’s perceived by others.”