Modern society nowadays is fascinated with justice and crime. From television broadcasts, magazines, newspapers, books, and films to daily routine conversations, individuals are continuously involved in crime talk. In this circumstance, the mass media has a vital role in developing the criminal justice system and the construction of criminal behavior in Western society.
According to the ‘Hypodermic Syringe Model, ‘media sources inject individuals with messages, content, and opinions, resulting in these characters’ acceptance of such beliefs and sentiments. Most of the time, people end up in certain conversations just like the way they observe certain social media sources (Chaiken, 1982). If the media were supposed to provide negative thoughts and opinions, there was more chance that individuals would behave according to them. For instance, if it portrays murders, destruction, and assassinations, then the members of the society start to repeat such actions in daily life because their minds are captivated by the media sources. As a result, there were more chances that society would become violent or criminal (Bartol, 2014).
Similarly, moral panic ‘over-reaction’ of the local community leaders, police, and mass media to criminal crimes are comparatively insignificant, both regarding the number of people involved and the nature of the offense that has been committed. It accounts for those situations where the mass media contends an upsurge in levels of deviancy. As we know, media was considered the source of communication in the 21st century, but its reliance, on the other hand, also lags behind (Fuller, 2011). For instance, one needs to telecast the weather in their area; there were numerous websites and it was difficult for all these sources to represent authentic information, which serves as conflict reason, in perceptive to conflict.
Considering the level of impact of technology on criminal behavior, there are significant insinuations for improving criminal justice practice and criminological theory. As computer technology and media continue to play and advance rapidly, they play a gradually essential role in individuals’ lives, and the significance of conducting empirical research and developing a theory on the relationship between criminal behavior and technology becomes greater.
One needs to realize that media may cause certain abnormalities in individuals, which may result in committing a terrible crime or ending up having criminal behavior. Several environmental factors along with the mixture of audience theories suggest that there was enough evidence that may cause criminal behavior among individuals in the society.
References
Fuller, J. (2011). Think criminology. McGraw-Hill Higher Education.
Bartol, C. R. (2014). Criminal behavior: A psychological approach. Boston: Pearson, c2014. xxiii, 644 pages: illustrations; 24 cm.
Chaiken, J. M., Chaiken, M. R., & Peterson, J. E. (1982). Varieties of criminal behavior.
