Using agent-based simulation to analyse the effect of broadcast and narrowcast on public perception: A case in social risk amplification

Individuals often use information from broadcast news (e.g. media) and narrowcast news (e.g. personal social network) to form their perception on a certain social issue. Using a case study in social risk amplification, this paper demonstrates that simulation modelling, specifically agent-based simulation, can be useful in analysing the effect of broadcast and narrowcast processes on the formation of public risk perception. The first part of this paper explains the structure of a model that allows easy configuration for testing various behaviours about which the empirical literature cannot make definitive predictions. The second part of this paper discusses the effect of personal social network and the role of media in the dynamics of public risk perception. The results show the undesirable effect of the extreme narrowcast process in society and a media that simply broadcasts the average public risk perception.