In another case, the alleged severity of a spider bite on a woman triggered alarm in Mallorca (Spain). Social networks were flooded with messages and photographs of bites. Although the Conselleria de Salut and the leading hospital on the islands made it public that there was no health alarm and experts explained that no dangerous spiders are present in Mallorca, messages continued for days and days on social media.

Such news is likely to produce fear, a visceral reaction often sought by the most sensationalist tabloids. These stories do not remain in the local or regional press, but are disseminated on a global scale almost immediately.

The news carries with it political or social actions that can be costly, often unnecessarily so. For example, not taking children to school for several days or environmental pollution from unnecessary pesticide treatments. They also fuel a global sentiment based on misinformation: spider panic.

Contrary to the impression we get from reading these news stories, the risk of being exposed to a spider is minimal. Studies in Switzerland estimate that the annual probability of being bitten by a spider is between 10 and 100 cases per million inhabitants. Another study in Australia found that only 6% of confirmed spider bites were of medical importance.