After mass violence equivalent to the terrorist attack on Bondi Beach on Sunday, the distress doesn’t stop with those directly affected.
Fear, anger and uncertainty are spreading within the media and social networks. This can increase harm to survivors and targeted communities.
People closest to an event are sometimes supported by services and the community. But most of the people also shapes what happens next.
Here are 3 ways you may also help reduce secondary damage.
A ripple effect
Research about disasters and mass violence shows that distress can spread beyond those directly affected.
For many individuals it’s real but temporary, while a smaller proportion develop longer lasting symptoms. Human threat detection systems are designed to reply quickly to threats. Survival takes precedence over nuance.
When threat systems are activated, they mobilize the body and limit focus. You may feel on high alert, lose sleep, have intrusive thoughts or images, feel irritable, or have an urge to go looking for information and certainty. These answers say nothing a few person's strength. These are common patterns of a nervous system that experiences uncertainty, even when people's reactions vary greatly in intensity.
The feeling of threat also spreads socially. People are sensitive to other people's emotions, especially in ambiguous situations. After terrorist attacks just like the one in Bondi, people look to others for clues about what is occurring, who’s in danger and what to do. This can calm people down, but it could also increase anxiety.
Modern crises are also shaped by media presence. Research shows High exposure to mass violence reporting is related to higher short-term stress and better post-traumatic stress symptoms.
This may even occur with individuals who should not directly involved. Distress can result in repeated checking of the news, and news coverage can, in turn, extend distress. In any case, frequent repetition could cause threat responses to stay activated long after the immediate danger has passed.
Bianca De Marchi/AAP
Distance is essential
The distance to an event will not be just geographical. This includes what you saw or heard, what you perceived as an ongoing risk, and the way close the event feels to your community or identity group.
For the bereaved and the bereaved, the early phase is usually marked by shock, grief and practical demands. Coping may look less like emotional “processing” and more like surviving for hours that feel unreal.
Witnesses, first responders, and locals can develop place-based anxiety, making familiar places feel dangerous. Communities that feel under attack may experience a shared sense of threat. In these cases, the increased alertness reflects an comprehensible change of their sense of security.
Remote observers should not immune. Vivid images and emotionally charged discussions can trigger the body's threat response, even from a distance. The nervous system goes into fight or flight mode, but there isn’t a direct motion and no clear end point.
Rumors, anger and scapegoats
When threatened, uncertainty itself becomes stress. Clear stories feel safer than unresolved ones, even when the facts are incomplete. This increases the likelihood that individuals will spread rumors after attacks.
Research suggests be exposed to rumors Crisis is related to greater stress, which may result in more information searching for and a feedback loop.
Early false claims can remain emotionally stuck even after correction because high stress strengthens emotional memory. Social media accelerates this dynamic. On many platforms, fast, emotionally charged content tends to spread further than slow, verified corrections because most platforms reward engagement greater than accuracy.
For example, a person from Sydney named Naveed Akram, who was falsely accused on the web Because he was certainly one of the suspected Bondi Beach gunmen, he was abused and afraid to depart his home.
Artificial intelligence (AI) tools could cause much more confusion. For example, the chatbot from X Grok misidentified a bystander who disarmed an attacker and mislabeled verified footage of the attack. This serves as a reminder that confident AI results will be incorrect in fast-moving crises.
There is widespread outrage for similar reasons. Anger can focus fear and reduce helplessness. For those directly affected, it could be vital to their survival. For those at a distance, it could seem performative or inflammatory, especially when rewarded with attention.
scapegoat is one other common response – blaming a whole group for one person’s actions. Under high stress, concentration can narrow and it could be tougher to think through complex explanations.
Blame can feel empowering since it reduces insecurity and makes it more likely that somebody will grow to be a scapegoat. But it could increase the danger to innocent people and increase fear amongst affected communities, resulting in secondary harm.
Reduce secondary damage
Disaster psychology separates the event itself from the conditions that shape recovery. These conditions include security, trust, connection and manageable risk.
Psychological first aidCommonly utilized in disaster relief, it focuses on reducing feelings of overwhelmedness, increasing social support, and connecting people to reliable information and services.
These principles apply not only to individuals, but in addition at a population level relating to what we see and share online.
There are three evidence-based ways most of the people may also help:
1. Reduce unwanted exposure. Repeated sharing of footage can worsen the plight of survivors and families and increase fear in targeted communities. If possible, avoid republishing graphic content. Before sharing, ask: Is this validating and crucial or does it just increase fear?
2. Slow down information. Early information is usually incomplete. Prioritize verification over speed to cut back false claims that may stoke fears long after they’ve been corrected.
3. Avoid group debt. To condemn violence, you don't need to suspect entire groups. Scapegoating destroys trust, increases risk, and jeopardizes everyone's recovery.
The terrorist attack on Bondi beach was geared toward instilling fear among the many victims. With these steps we may also help combat it and make sure the community recovers from this horror.
