sanomisia

Sanomisia is a fictional sociocultural concept used in speculative fiction and theoretical discussions to describe a collective tendency to reinterpret ambiguous information about social order, health, or safety as alarming, prompting protective, censoring, or punitive responses. The term is not part of established psychology or sociology terminology and has no recognized empirical basis.

In narrative contexts, sanomisia often explains how rumors spread, how authorities justify censorship, and how communities mobilize around perceived threats. In analytic discussions, it serves as a heuristic for examining media effects, risk perception, and the social construction of panic. Proponents use sanomisia to distinguish between legitimate precaution and overreaction driven by group dynamics; critics argue that as a fictional construct it risks conflating distinct phenomena such as misinformation, moral panic, and collective behavior.

Origins are informal; the term appeared in online discourse during the 2010s and has since circulated primarily in speculative fiction circles and methodological essays about information ecosystems.

Because it is not grounded in formal definitions or validated measures, references to sanomisia should be understood as metaphorical rather than empirical.

Related concepts include misinformation, moral panic, risk perception, and infodemic.