Hyperreality:

...because of the compression of perceptions of reality in culture and media, what is generally regarded as real and what is understood as fiction are seamlessly blended together in experiences so that there is no longer any clear distinction between where one ends and the other begins. ... Hyperreality is the inability of consciousness to distinguish reality from a simulation of reality, especially in technologically advanced societies.

Because the (social-)media simulation of reality is more influential (on voters, society, politics) than actual reality, in practice the simulation is often more 'real' than reality. If crime rises, it only matters if the simulation of reality convinces enough people that crime is rising. In fact, crime is falling across much of the western world, but most people think the opposite thanks to media, so the false reality has more influence on politics than actual reality.