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The Copycat Effect: How the Media and Popular Culture Trigger the Mayhem in Tomorrow's Headlines
 
 
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The Copycat Effect: How the Media and Popular Culture Trigger the Mayhem in Tomorrow's Headlines (Paperback)

~ (Author) "A pattern underlies many of the events we hear about in the news every day..." (more)
Key Phrases: teen suicide clusters, sniper events, copycat effect, The Deer Hunter, New York, United States (more...)
3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

According to Coleman, the media's attitude is "death sells... if it bleeds, it leads." The author, who has written and lectured extensively on the impact of media, mounts a convincing case against newspapers, TV and books that sensationalize murders and suicides, thus encouraging others to imitate destructive crimes. He traces the problem's roots to Goethe's The Sorrows of Young Werther (1774), which spotlighted a fellow who shot himself over a failed romance and inspired many young men to do the same. The novel encouraged widespread use of the term "the Werther Effect" when referring to copycat catastrophes. Coleman addresses Marilyn Monroe's 1962 death, pointing out that thanks to extensive coverage of the star's passing, "the suicide rate in the United States increased briefly by 12%." Other subjects include the 2002 Washington-area snipers John Muhammad and John Lee Malvo, whose actions spawned numerous sniper killings; suicide clusters among fourth-century Greeks; cult leaders Charles Manson and David Koresh, who attained gruesome glamour through melodramatic press perusal; Jack the Ripper—who created copycat killers from the late 1800s into the 20th century—and today's suicide bombers. Although readers may feel there's little they can do to muzzle media destructiveness, Coleman presents his advice to with enough punch to intrigue the public and possibly exert a minor influence on the press.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.


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Publishers WeeklyA convincing case. --This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.
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Product Details

  • Paperback: 318 pages
  • Publisher: Pocket (September 14, 2004)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0743482239
  • ISBN-13: 978-0743482233
  • Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.4 x 0.9 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 9.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #192,509 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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More About the Author

Loren Coleman
Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

› Visit Amazon's Loren Coleman Page
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Search Inside This Book:
Inside This Book (learn more)
First Sentence:
A pattern underlies many of the events we hear about in the news every day. Read the first page
Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
teen suicide clusters, sniper events, copycat effect, copycat events, celebrity suicides, suicide contagion, twilight language, sniper incidents, fire suicides, copycat suicides, roulette scene, media guidelines, suicide terrorism, celebrity deaths
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
The Deer Hunter, New York, United States, Heaven's Gate, Kurt Cobain, San Francisco, Solar Temple, New Jersey, Valentine's Day, Golden Gate Bridge, White Sox, Gloomy Sunday, Los Angeles, Associated Press, Clear Lake, David Phillips, Jack the Ripper, Jim Jones, People's Temple, Stephen King, North Carolina, Oklahoma City, United Kingdom, White House, Moses Lake
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Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
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Customer Reviews

8 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
3.8 out of 5 stars (8 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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10 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Cutting Edge Study of Media & Violence, September 17, 2004
By Christopher Warnock (Iowa City, IA, United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
Loren Coleman's "The Copycat Effect" is a well researched and compelling account of how media accounts of suicide trigger off further deaths. Coleman, a well known and respected authority on suicides and the author of "Suicide Clusters" goes into exhaustive detail and carefully documents the phenomenon of copycat suicides, giving examples from Ancient World up to the Kurt Cobain, Columbine and "The Deerhunter".

After reading the extensive documentation that Coleman provides there can be no further doubt of the existence of the suicide copycat effect. What is interesting about Coleman's account is that he never descends into a polemic about media violence and it is clear that the media does not "cause" violence, but rather triggers off these occurrences in susceptible individuals.

The most intriguing part of "The Copycat Effect" is the penultimate chapter where Coleman begins to explore what he calls the magnetism of milieu and moment, delving into why certain places and times attract suicides. This "twilight language" once elucidated has the potential to explain why hundreds of people have completed suicide from the Golden Gate Bridge while ignoring the Bay Bridge and why suicides take place on particular dates.

Highly recommended!

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3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Coleman does it again, December 12, 2006
The Copycat Effect explores how highly publicized murders and suicides often inspire imitation in certain individuals due to a media that thrives on and profits from lurid and sensationalistic reporting.

Veteran author Loren Coleman presents a meticulously researched expose on the causes of such things as suicide clusters, rage murders involving workplace and school shootings and the books and movies that have inspired such violent acts in others. (The chapter on teen suicide is particularly sad, but compelling reading).

Coleman's data has even allowed him to make accurate predictions about where and when other copycat suicides and murders will occur.

As with all books written by Loren Coleman, this one is highly recommended.

Curt Rowlett,
Author of Labyrinth13
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5 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars brilliant and crystal clear, September 17, 2004
The role and function of our modern day mass media have often been discussed, but never before have the effects on our society, the way we behave and react, been explained in such crystal clear fashion. While the book gives irrefutable evidence that the darker side of our society is intertwined with the way we describe it in our media, it also helps to come to terms with this mechanism. Clearly, understanding is the first step on the road to betterment, and as such this book is highly recommended.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

2.0 out of 5 stars Okay but didn't learn anytihng new.
I purchased this book with the hopes that it would open my eyes to something that wasn't already apparent. Read more
Published 20 months ago by Infstar

1.0 out of 5 stars Is this a joke ?
I happened across this authors blog while researching a murder that happened where I grew up. He commented in his blog with the following

"In my book, I write of... Read more
Published on November 2, 2007 by John B. Barnes

2.0 out of 5 stars Tries to convince through sheer repetition and not solid arguments
I was expecting more from this title, especially considering the good reviews it got here, but frankly it seems to fail both on the level of entertaining reading and as an... Read more
Published on May 21, 2007 by D. Norder

5.0 out of 5 stars Author uses sensitive language
The reviewer E. Sena, who writes "I strongly disagree with associating Suicide Victims with being Cowards," is correct. But E. Read more
Published on November 26, 2004 by reader

5.0 out of 5 stars Loren Coleman sets up a provocative world view
The Copycat Effect: How the Media and Popular Culture Trigger the Mayhem in Tomorrow's Headlines, is an incredible read. Read more
Published on November 23, 2004 by E. Sena

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