Availability cascade
Etymology
Coined by legal scholars Timur Kuran and Cass Sunstein in a 1999 paper, combining the “availability heuristic” (judging likelihood by how easily examples come to mind) with the image of a cascade. Each retelling makes the idea more available, which prompts more retelling.
noun phrase · /uh-vay-luh-BIL-i-tee kas-KADE/
A self-reinforcing cycle in which a belief gains public credibility simply by being repeated and discussed more and more.
What it names
Names how a minor concern can snowball into a panic as coverage and repetition make it feel ever more important and true.
Example
A single alarming study, amplified across news and social feeds, can trigger an availability cascade far out of proportion to the actual risk.
Related idea
An availability cascade is the repetition-driven rise of a belief; the availability heuristic is the individual bias it exploits, and an information cascade spreads through people copying others’ choices rather than through sheer repetition.