Tinkerbell Effect

The Tinkerbell effect is a term for the phenomenon in which something is thought to exist, or to keep existing, only because enough people believe in it. It takes its name from the fairy Tinker Bell in J. M. Barrie's Peter Pan, who is revived from near death when the audience claps to show they believe fairies exist. Commentators have applied the term to areas such as visual motion perception, education reform proposals, and the rule of law, describing situations where an idea or arrangement persists largely because people collectively act as though it is real.