Availability cascade

Biological Parallel

When one bird gives an alarm call, nearby birds repeat it—creating an information cascade where the alarm spreads far beyond the original threat's range. Availability cascade: repeated exposure amplifies perceived risk independent of actual danger. The mechanism: each repetition increases availability in memory, inflating threat assessment. By the time the alarm reaches distant birds, the predator may be gone—but the cascade continues because social proof (everyone's alarmed) overwhelms individual assessment. Repetition manufactures consensus.