Risk Cognitive Bias and the Media in Risk Context

Risk perception depends on both physical and mental aspects, with the latter often having a greater impact. The cognition of risk is objective and real or not which subject to the cognitive condition and cognitive ability of the cognitive subject. In the context of overload information and risk, the information perception mechanism of human beings becomes more complex, uncertainty increases, cognition of risk becomes more difficult, and cognitive bias is likely to occur. Complexity is the companion of modernity. In the face of the geometric expansion of complexity, human’s intelligence and rationality is limited. As the dissemination, communication and integration mechanism of the social system, media is effective for the risk control and complexity management of human society. With its professional efforts, it brings clear description and certainty to the complex world. However, in the network society and risk context, the media system is faced with double complexity, which makes it difficult to cope with the task of risk perception and complexity management.