Before social media, before algorithms, before doomscrolling…there was the 1990s.

A decade that traded Cold War dread for day-care demons, trench-coat paranoia, and talk-show hysteria...when America turned fear into entertainment and the 24-hour news cycle made anxiety a national pastime.

In this Nerdoween Checkpoint Extra, Nate rewinds through the moral panics that shaped a generation: the Satanic Panic hangover, the “superpredator” myth, video-game witch hunts, Y2K, and chain-email urban legends that made even our inboxes haunted. With humor, heart, and real data, this deep dive unpacks how the Fear Machine of the ’90s became the anxiety economy we still scroll through today.

Mentioned & Sourceable Research:

Google any of these for more context and receipts - the stats, studies, and sociologists behind the story:

• Harvard / National Comorbidity Survey - Ronald Kessler et al. (1994–2005)
• CDC / NCHS - U.S. antidepressant-use trends (1988–2000)
• FBI Behavioral Science Unit - Kenneth Lanning (1992), Investigator’s Guide to Allegations of Ritual Child Abuse
• Stephen Ceci & Maggie Bruck, Cornell University (1993) - Child suggestibility research
• Mary de Young (2004) - The Day Care Ritual Abuse Moral Panic
• John J. DiIulio (1995) - “The Coming of the Superpredators” + later retraction interviews (2001-2008)
• Bureau of Justice Statistics - Juvenile violent-crime data, 1990–2000
• Elizabeth Loftus (1994) - The Myth of Repressed Memory
• David Altheide & Robert Snow (1996-2002) - Media Logic and Creating Fear: News and the Construction of Crisis
• Joel Best (1985-2008) - Research on poisoned-Halloween-candy myths
• U.S. Senate Special Committee on Y2K (1998-1999) - Prevention cost reports
• CDC MMWR (1999) - First U.S. West Nile Virus outbreak
• Indicators of School Crime & Safety (NCES/BJS 1999-2000)

Trigger & Content Note:

Includes discussion of school shootings and Columbine (skip 35:00 - 40:00 if needed).

Fear sells...but it’s not free. Stay gold, nerd bold.

And don't forget to Follow, Rate, and Review the Show!