Fear is a social product. The circulation of discourse is essential to its creation. Fear spreads through images, stories, stereotypes, and fake newsThere is no fear without stories. The cultivation of fear depends on the imagination, especially on those who create prejudices. We think of racism and the creation of images of an always dangerous "other." Let's think of misogynistic discourses and the many fears they fuel. This association of symbolism and fear is inseparable from the institutions that have the power to articulate public discourse. Religious groups have always played a special role in the manipulation of fear. The same is true of newspapers, radio, and television and their participation in the creation of moral panics and fear of crime. However, today social media has taken the generation of fear to new dimensions. Rumors and gossip have reached unprecedented levels, while fake news New fears are spread and fueled. Countering fear also depends on stories, which will break or invalidate the narratives that proliferate fear.