This article discusses the multiple meanings of violence identified by researchers, comparing them to empirical studies conducted in a mid-size city in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Subsequently, it considers the absence of these various meanings, both in the television show and in the perception of the people surveyed, as well as the presence of stereotypes in the construction of the television messages and its interpretations. Furthermore, the article intends to present more data to explain the perception of the interviewed people on the increase in violence within the local context. To conclude, the author questions the culture of fear, suggesting that it can be powered not only by the apprehension of the people surveyed who watch the TV show, but also by the way some researchers analyze the same show. The discussion aims to show that there are reified conceptions of violence, image and reality, within the debate, that give power to the perception of an increase in violence and the resulting sense of insecurity.
Violence; Reception studies; Television show; Culture of fear; Media anthropology