Education

How Social Media And Media Leads To Crime

Introduction

Media and Social media are considered the main aspects of communication between the people in the country. It is observed that people are influenced by the media as well as social media, and they are more towards adopting ways that have a direct impact on committing the crime in the country. Many researchers and scholars believe that crime is basically a perception that is framed by the media and social media in the country. Social media usually portray or present the crime in a way that causes many people to lose self-control, and they are motivated to commit the crime. In the recent decade, social media coverage, in addition to the use of the media and social media, has increased to the tremendous usage that people commit suicide or other harmful acts in the country.

Many people think that the media and social media lead to crime in the country. Patiwael and Valkenburg (1998) provided their own personal perception about this topic that the number of people watching television on a daily basis has created a negative impact on their minds, and the knowledge of crime is increasing passage of time. The Mass media is totally obsessed with the offense, and an outnumbered people, busy using social media, discovered different ways of committing the crime. From television to social media sites, which include Facebook, Twitter, etc., everything is acting as a positive medium for people to commit crimes. Furthermore, it is suggested that the new television provides fear to the people and also influences the public. It is declared that in the future time, the media and social media will rule the people, and they will move to commit more crimes in the country. This study evaluates the impact of social media and media on the people and how it leads to committing crimes by the people. Moreover, this study will discuss different crime theories and their impact on society.

Keywords: Criminology, Social Media, New Media, Theories on Criminology

Discussion

Thanks to technological development and the great popularity that social networks have obtained in recent years. People have the opportunity every day to interact with an infinite number of people (known or unknown) and to establish contact with people who, due to the circumstances and momentum in which they met, probably would never have seen them again, as well as with their loved ones (Wilcox, and Cullen, 2018 p, 124). But what happens when networks are used in the wrong way? Despite all the benefits they give, it is inevitable that, from time to time, they will be used as a double-edged sword. Even people can cause irreparable damage, both to a person and to someone else, without even being aware of that. Many times, users share content that may be offensive to some friends, or they may publish things that they consider to be disrespectful. The most advisable thing is to expose in a respectful way users’ points of view and clarify any misinterpretation. It is also important to respect the opinions of others (Palen and Hughes, 2018, p, 45).

Social Media and Media have been increasing over the period of time and people are more aware of using different sites and making their benefits by using different social media. It has been suggested due to the increasing rate of usage of social media and media has led people to commit crimes in the country (Hasinoff 2013, p.449). The study of mass media has increased over the periods, and people rely on committing crimes in society. The way social media and media have been popular with the passage of time, it has been declared that they are more towards committing crimes in the country.

Social Media, Media And Crime

News media is the most popular and old mass medium for communicating the social impact and the news of the world to the people. As more and more official news company uses the medium of social media in order to keep in touch with the masses, the concept of new media has changed (Enikolopov, Petrova & Sonin 2018, p.74). Media is defined as the information regarding the most recent events that have been reported, broadcast, monitored and edited by professional people in the news industry. In order to quality the channels as the media, it is important to be creditability, reliability and accountability in the industry. There are many platforms of the media such as television, radio stations, and newspapers and social media is restricted to internet sites, blogs, and social networking websites, and the use of social networking applications has been categorized as the media mass (Taylor 2002, p.12).

Social media platforms are changing day by day, and there are new emerging people who are mobbing towards the adoption of social media as a way of changing the trends of the people in leading a sustainable life in the country (Sampson 2018, p. 113). Social media is basically the way of communication that has been made between people through different mediums such as websites, electronic devices and applications and thus, it allows people to participate, and the moderation is being carried in the social media mass in the country (O’Keeffe 2011, p.800). According to the research, people tend to use social media more than anything else, and they tend to spend their lives according to the norms and the way that has been maintained or described on social media, which has led to crimes and many unlawful and harmful act by the people as well as its effects on the upbringing and growth of the children. Examples of social media are Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat chat and many other websites that enable people to communicate with each other in society, and it has a direct impact on the lives of the people (Palen & Hughes 2018, p. 497).

Crime is a phenomenon that has been made socially and occurs out of the view of the public. Crime is referred to as a harmful act that has been committed by people who are not according to the laws, rules, and regulations of society, and people tend to be in breach of the law (Sampson 2018, p. 128). It has been observed that in recent times, people rely on the media mass, and the way social media and media are playing with the psychological aspects of the people and making them commit crimes against the act of the people and society tends to come under the concept or definition of criminology. In this era, people, mostly the young generations, are moving towards the adoption of different ways that help them fulfill their needs, and social media has influenced people to commit crimes that will lead them to criminal justice (Valenzuela 2012, p.319). It has been observed that social media allows people to view different activities and the day-to-day routine of people, and thus, people use the medium of social media in order to commit a crime. The growth of crime has been increasing rate in recent decades, and people are more towards making use of media for investigating people, and thus, they are able to commit crimes in society. The way media and social media portray the things and the situations in the country, it has been seen that people are performing crime in the same way it is being portrayed on the media and social media, respectively (Enikolopov, Petrova & Sonin 2018, p.150).

Analysis Of Media And Social Media To Criminology

It has been seen that people who tend to watch television are more likely to be afraid of committing a crime in the country. Typically, the hours of watching the procedurals of police, violence-heavy local news and courtroom dramas can lead to the people in a dramatic and fearful world. In this digital media, the information that is provided on the media and social media enables people to rely on the information, and thus, they begin to commit different crimes that have been influenced by this society (Fuchs 2017, p.5). It has been observed that many social media networks show the news of terrorism, and social networking sites enable people to commit harmful acts on the people, and thus, they are able to make such norms or procedures that begin them to search for the victim and commit a crime. The impact of social media is increasing among the young generations, and it has been seen that people tend to make such assumptions that will be a purpose of fear among the people (Kidd & Osborne 1995, p.8). It has been observed that as the media is increasing and is getting popular day by day so, new technologies and trends are being portrayed by the person that to adopt different illegal actions that help them to get things. In this recent time, the rate of snatching and robbery has been increasing numbers, and people tend to rob different things that have been seen in the media, and they fulfill their demands with the help of robbery or snatching in the country. It has been suggested by many researchers that social media has given rise to e-crimes in the country. Many attackers attack the data of the companies, and in return, they ask for some money in order to release the accounts and database that will lead them to fulfill the needs of leading a good lifestyle that they have been seen in the media (Sampson 2018, p. 128).

According to recent research, many people use social media applications such as the Blue Whale game, which has made many youngsters commit suicide that has made through social media. At the end of the game, the user has to do suicide. Otherwise, the data that has been provided by the user at the start of the game will be exposed, and it has been observed that the rate of suicide has been increasing over the period (Taylor 2002  p.12). The increasing rate in popularity of the media and social media in the last years has made a drastic change in maintaining personal communication regarding the actions that will be performed by the people (Thornberry 2018, p.n.d.).

It has been seen that daily, the number of users of social networks is increasing, and social media networks have made people not use them for the purpose of communication. This has led people to view and track people and their presence in society, and they will be able to commit any suspicious crime in the country. Al-Qaeda uses the media to communicate with the people and give fear through media networks, and they tend to hit the people through media networks, which are being used as a crime in the world. Along with the use of social media that is being adopted by many people in society, this not only increases the more dangerous criminals by their skill set through the medium of the internet (Curran & Renzetti 2001, p.20). It has been suggested that due to the use of social media, security has been compromised, and the transferring of data has led to an increasing rate of high-tech criminals and white-collar crimes, and this has made their way to perform harmful acts. According to the research, it has been seen that gang crimes have been raised due to social media, and a group of the young generation has started to commit different types of crimes in society (Jewkes 2015, p.27). The lack of education and available resources has led to an increasing rate of crimes, which has made people perform crimes. For instance, Kim Kardashian was robbed by a group of people as she was updated about her presence on social media, and the robbers got her at that place. Similarly, many sexual harassment cases have been highlighted daily through the media, and this has encouraged people to perform any act of crime that has been seen in the media over the past years (Hasinoff 2013, p.449).

The recent attack that comes under the category of terrorism in Tunisia highlights more of the ongoing risk regarding terrorism in the UK and across the world as well, and the threat of terrorism act has been ranked as the most severe in the country (Dahl 2018, p.n.d.). Social media has given rise to the impact of the community on the terror attacks, and the research shows that the post-event strategy measures will help to deal with the impact of terrorism through the use of the media and social media. Social media is changing day by day, and the speed of the use of media and social media has been seen in recent decades. The way people react regarding the information that has been provided by the media and social media is considered a harmful act or criminology act that must be destroyed in the country (Curran & Renzetti 2001, p.20).

Theories Of Crime

Social media and media have given rise to criminology, and the act of the criminal has been seen through different theories of crime. It has been suggested that crime is not done by a person, but it is being constructed socially (Palen & Hughes 2018, p. 497). Many researchers and theorists have said that theories of crime are being used by many criminals in their actions (Sampson 2018, p. 113). Labeling theory of crime is being highlighted in criminal behavior, and it states that people are not deviant in what they have performed. In the labeling theory, people get labeled by society as criminals, and then people tend to perform the same act of crime in the hatred and due to society’s norms. According to research, social media has given rise to the theory of hatred among the people, and thus, people begin to commit crimes in the country. For example, a youngster has killed many people in Germany, and it has been observed that the act of hatred has been shown between the victims and the criminals, which has been portrayed by the media and in return, many other young people tend to do the same in the action or personal jealously in the society (O’Keeffe 2011, p.800).

Media and violence are similarly linked with each other, and many people used to post their status in terms of violent acts, and the actions of violence have been shown, which enables them to commit different types of crimes in the country (Taylor 2002, p.5). There are three elements of the routine activity of the criminal theory, such as victim, offender and the location, which has the moderator that helps them to control the condition, and they are known as the controller. The offenders of the controller are known as the handlers, and they are the people who have an emotional bonding with the people who have committed the crimes. In many organizations, people commit crimes of fraud, robbery, and theft that have led them to justice in the courts where, as it has been seen, the offenders used to offend people through different means of social media and media (Surette 2014, p.16).

The exposure to privacy in social networks is worrisome, and the consequences this brings open a debate on the right to privacy and freedom of expression. The confrontation of rights is controversial today due to the proliferation of social networks such as Facebook or Twitter, where users provide personal data without being aware of the consequences that may result (Thornberry, 2018, p 67). The legal conditions to which they are subjected, in most cases, are not even read, in addition to the ambiguity that many present. The right to privacy and the right to the image conform, among others, the most personal rights and correspond to people by their sole condition of such, from before their birth until after their death. Both the right to privacy and the right to the image are violated daily on the Internet. Technological advances allow images to be published without authorization from their owners, thus attacking the privacy of people.

The process of computerization produced a series of transformations both in social structures and in human behavior and has had consequences in all areas. Human dignity can be affected when whoever possesses personal information publishes this data on social networks, humiliating and offending someone. Data protection laws are born to protect the owners in terms of their personal privacy, restricting the circulation of data without authorization. The crimes that most frequently occur are related to the intimate law, such as slander, insults, threats and even identity theft. What a few years ago could have been considered a “joke” is now a crime. Those who make use of new technologies must be aware of certain limitations that will be presented when defending their right not to publish personal data. One of the data to take into account is that the Data Protection Act has a reduced scope of application if one takes into account that most networks are hosted in the country, such as Facebook. It is necessary on the part of the users to avoid the publication of personal information and photos either family, friends, and minors (Thornberry, 2018, p 67). Users’ rights begin to be respected when they make them respected, and this is one of the ways.

Conclusion

Social media, media and crime are linked with each other, and it has been seen that crime is intended to be performed through social media and media. According to recent research, many people use different theories of crime, such as routine activity theory, hatred crime theory, and labeling theory, in the behavior of the criminal, which is due to the media and social media. The rate of crimes is increasing day by day. People tend to adopt new ways that will allow them to fulfill their needs, but at the same time, they are being categorized as criminals in society. It has been seen and thus evaluated that social media, media has given rise to crimes in society.

References

Barak, G., 1988. Newsmaking criminology: Reflections of the media, intellectuals, and crime. Justice Quarterly, 5(4), pp.565-587.

Browne, K.D. and Hamilton-Giachritsis, C., 2005. The influence of violent media on children and adolescents: a public-health approach. The Lancet, 365(9460), pp.702-710.

Curran, D.J. and Renzetti, C.M., 2001. Theories of crime. Pearson College Division, pp.16-20

Dahl, S., 2018. Social media marketing: Theories and applications. Sage.

Ellison, N.B. and Boyd, D.M., 2013. Sociality through social network sites. In The Oxford Handbook of Internet Studies, p.56

Enikolopov, R., Petrova, M. and Sonin, K., 2018. Social media and corruption. American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, 10(1), pp.150-74.

Fuchs, C., 2017. Social media: A critical introduction. Sage, pp.5-15

Gil de Zúñiga, H., Jung, N. and Valenzuela, S., 2012. Social media use for news and individuals’ social capital, civic engagement and political participation. Journal of Computer‐Mediated Communication, 17(3), pp.319-336.

Hasinoff, A.A., 2013. Sexting as media production: Rethinking social media and sexuality. New Media & Society, 15(4), pp.449-465.

Jewkes, Y., 2015. Media and crime. Sage, p.27

Kidd-Hewitt, D. and Osborne, R., 1995. Crime and the Media. London, pp.8-20

O’Keeffe, G.S. and Clarke-Pearson, K., 2011. The impact of social media on children, adolescents, and families. Pediatrics, 127(4), pp.800-804.

Palen, L. and Hughes, A.L., 2018. Social Media in Disaster Communication. In Handbook of Disaster Research (pp. 497-518). Springer, Cham.

Sampson, R.J., 2018. Organized for what? Recasting theories of social (dis) organization. In Crime and social organization(pp. 113-128). Routledge.

Surette, R., 2014. Media, crime, and criminal justice. Nelson Education, pp.16-20

Taylor, I., Walton, P. and Young, J., 2002. The new criminology: For a social theory of deviance. Routledge., pp.5-12

Thornberry, T., 2018. Developmental theories of crime and delinquency. Routledge.

Tsay-Vogel, M., Shanahan, J. and Signorielli, N., 2018. Social media cultivating perceptions of privacy: A 5-year analysis of privacy attitudes and self-disclosure behaviors among Facebook users. new media & society, 20(1), pp.141-161.

Wilcox, P. and Cullen, F.T., 2018. Situational Opportunity Theories of Crime. Annual Review of Criminology, (0), p.n.d.

Cite This Work

To export a reference to this article please select a referencing stye below:

SEARCH

WHY US?

Calculate Your Order




Standard price

$310

SAVE ON YOUR FIRST ORDER!

$263.5

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE

Respecting Patient Autonomy

In medical ethics, a challenging situation that many physicians face is respecting patient autonomy rather than providing treatment that could potentially be life-saving, asserting that

Read More »
Pop-up Message