Physical damage resulting from cyber operations continues to reinforce the “cyber doom” narrative across societies dependent on information and communication technology. This is paradoxical given the absence of severe, lasting consequences from cyber operations and the relative restraint exercised by cyber-capable actors. Moreover, the mass adoption of vulnerable digital systems raises questions whether or not individuals’ dread cyber insecurity is as severe as we are often asked to believe. Employing a survey experiment, we find that the assumptions of the “cyber doom” narrative are misleading. While sensitivity to cybersecurity threats is shaped by negative information, the onset of panic and dread is not a given. The impact of novel environmental circumstances on opinion formation is shaped by the individuals’ embeddedness in modern digital society. Consequently, long-term exposure to any invasive development mitigates the emotional response associated with it, normalizing novel threats over time. We present evidence suggesting that the unique characteristics of a development (i.e., web-technology proliferation) matter in opinion formation, as sensitivity to digital threats to the polity is grounded on personal threat sensitivity. Thus, policymakers can expect to see public responses to new national security threats manifest through the lens of prevailing social and political narratives.

中文翻译：

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打破网络末日的神话：新型威胁的证券化和规范化

网络行动造成的物理损害继续强化了依赖信息和通信技术的社会的“网络厄运”叙事。鉴于网络行动没有产生严重、持久的后果，而且网络能力强的行为者采取了相对克制，这是自相矛盾的。此外，易受攻击的数字系统的大规模采用提出了一个问题，即个人恐惧的网络不安全是否像我们经常被要求相信的那样严重。通过一项调查实验，我们发现“网络末日”叙述的假设具有误导性。虽然对网络安全威胁的敏感性是由负面信息决定的，但恐慌和恐惧的发作并不是必然的。新环境情况对意见形成的影响是由个人在现代数字社会中的嵌入决定的。因此，长期暴露于任何侵入性发展会减轻与之相关的情绪反应，随着时间的推移使新威胁正常化。我们提出的证据表明，发展的独特特征（即网络技术的扩散）在意见形成中很重要，因为对政体的数字威胁的敏感性是基于个人威胁敏感性的。因此，政策制定者可以期望看到公众对新的国家安全威胁的反应会通过盛行的社会和政治叙述来体现。我们提出的证据表明，发展的独特特征（即网络技术的扩散）在意见形成中很重要，因为对政体的数字威胁的敏感性是基于个人威胁敏感性的。因此，政策制定者可以期望看到公众对新的国家安全威胁的反应会通过盛行的社会和政治叙述来体现。我们提出的证据表明，发展的独特特征（即网络技术的扩散）在意见形成中很重要，因为对政体的数字威胁的敏感性是基于个人威胁敏感性的。因此，政策制定者可以期望看到公众对新的国家安全威胁的反应会通过盛行的社会和政治叙述来体现。