Social media has further amplified these conversations. Unlike in past decades, personal stories can now reach millions of people instantly. When a celebrity family shares their journey publicly, the story often generates widespread discussion, making it highly visible. Meanwhile, countless similar experiences occurring in non-celebrity households receive little or no media attention. This difference in visibility can create a distorted perception of frequency.
There is also a tendency for people to notice and remember unusual or highly publicized events. Psychologists refer to this as the “availability heuristic”—the tendency to judge how common something is based on how easily examples come to mind. Because celebrity stories are frequently covered in the media, they become more memorable, which can lead people to overestimate how often they occur.
