ABSTRACT
We argue that The War of the Worlds remains relevant more than 80 years later because it explores cultural anxieties about new media that have re-emerged in the digital era, including concerns about the democratic and authoritarian implications of platform cultures. We examine the broadcast as an event that includes the 1938 broadcast itself; reactions to the broadcast by participants, the public, newspapers and officials; and the 1940 publication of Invasion from Mars: A Study in the Psychology of Panic under the auspices of the Princeton Office of Radio Research. We review what took place and explore how the broadcast mimicked emerging formats of live news and radio drama in order to raise questions about how media conventions can be used to deceive audiences and users. Second, we examine the construction of a panic narrative that resonates with on-going debates about whether or not media users are easily manipulated and fooled. Finally, we argue that the play was a reflection on media power, exploring both the promise and peril of newly emerging forms of mediated interconnection.
