I would never consider this issue, nor any other visual imperfections to eInk readers, to be a form of mass hysteria or mass hallucination. There are many cases of documented mass hysteria and mass hallucination, especially if you read the sightings reports for UFOs and ghosts and what not. But in all fairness, the more educated and intelligent people are, the less likely they are to be persuaded by or subject to mass hysteria or mass hallucination. Most of the people with Kindles are going to be educated and intelligent because they read, and usually read a lot. To even consider such a thing as mass hysteria or mass hallucination to be a factor is not only insulting, but extremely unscientific in approach. It is unscientific since there are rational and logical reasons that can easily explain the screen issues which make much more sense than to blame it on mass hysteria or mass hallucination. For example, the field of optical science. Granted the field of optical science is way beyond the scope of what most of us have studied, but I assure you the answers most likely lie therein.