Influences of Social Media on The Overall Subject of Criminology

Influences of Social Media on The Overall Subject of Criminology

The influences of social media on the overall subject of criminology are astounding. Social media has allowed people to express their thoughts, feelings, and opinions more freely than ever before. Social media platforms have become a society’s outlet for crime and other issues such as immigration, gun control, etc. This freedom of expression has had many impacts on our society, including how we view criminals and how crime is detected or prevented by law enforcement agencies. Social media has given people a way to express their thoughts and feelings and share them with the public and private alike. Another major influence of social media on criminology is that criminals now have an outlet to show off their crimes and brag about them publicly and privately. The barrier between reality and fantasy has been blurred for many people who live in their virtual world, which is especially true of criminals. Therefore, this paper will discuss the influences of social media on the subject of criminology, with a focus on the positives and negatives of these impacts.

Social media has allowed people to express their thoughts, feelings, and opinions more freely than ever before. This freedom of expression has had major impacts on society in criminology by allowing individuals who are victims or perpetrators of crimes to share their personal stories (Brown & Carrabine, 2017). Many victims have found comfort in retelling their story online to cope with their loss of a loved one, financial gains if family members have been held hostage for ransom, or getting the word out about what happened to them. A prime example of this is Robin Williams’s daughter, Zelda, as she tweeted numerous times about her father’s issues with depression and anxiety before his death (Jackson, 2015). These tweets became viral and were shared thousands of times. This causes a double-edged sword because while the issues are brought to light, it also puts Zelda in a situation where her private thoughts and feelings become public. In criminology, telling people about their experiences may help them heal from the traumatic incident and give them a sense of control over what is going on in their lives. The individual’s power is taken away during crimes like kidnapping or assault; however, the victim regains some sense of control by writing about it online (or even privately). Victims can share their stories not only with other potential victims but also with the world at large . This allows for legislation to be passed that can help protect people from going through the same trauma again. By looking for trends in criminals’ victims, law enforcement agencies can develop victim profiles that better help protects others. Victimization isn’t just limited to crimes that involve physical harm; it also includes hate crimes and cyber-bullying, which are increasing in severity throughout the world (Wagner, 2019). Social media has allowed victims of these crimes to share their victimization with the public. This has led to greater awareness by law enforcement agencies and people in general about what types of hate crimes are occurring and how they can report them if need be.

Social media has allowed criminals to brag about their crimes publicly and privately. Criminals use social media to brag about their crimes by posting pictures and videos of what they have done (McGregor, 2017). This is especially true in the case of school shooters because after these shootings occur, many students start posting on social media sites like Twitter or Tumblr bragging about how they will be the next school shooter and the impact they want to make on society. Victims and witnesses of shootings also post pictures and videos on social media sites (Liggett & Ueberall, 2017). All of the evidence posted on these sites makes guilty verdicts harder to reach for criminals because it can be seen by everyone, not just law enforcement agencies. Without this evidence, criminals would get away with more crimes if they didn’t physically do something that linked them to the crime scene. Criminals are also using social media to discuss their crimes with other criminals who can help give them advice on what they need to do next in order to get away with it.

Social media has often been blamed for influencing people’s behaviors by allowing cyber-bullying, spreading rumors, and other negative influences of children’s and teenagers’ behaviors (McGregor, 2017). There is a definite need to monitor the behavior of youth online, but it does not mean that this monitoring should be happening across all youth. Many schools have laws that require students and parents to sign off on their rights for privacy on social media sites before they enter into any school building or go onto a school network (Chen, 2021). Still, it is often hard to monitor the illegal activities of cyber-bullying, sexting, and other issues. This type of monitoring can be seen in workplaces across the United States, where employers look for any signs of inappropriate behavior. In addition, social media has allowed people to share their opinions on various topics such as politics and religion. The ability to connect with others and share your views is beneficial in today’s society, but there are still consequences for this type of behavior.

In criminology, social media has been an integral part of allowing victims to tell their stories. Whether through writing about something that happened or by sharing a video of the event, social media has given these individuals their voice back (Brown & Carrabine, 2017). This type of information can help create new legislation that protects other people from the same fate. By using data mining to see trends in victimization based on location or type of crime, law enforcement agencies can develop profiles for different types of victims and begin to protect those who might be at risk of being victimized in the future. Social media has also helped lead to a rise in cyber-bullying, which allows for new legislation targeting anti-bullying campaigns and efforts.

In conclusion, social media has allowed victims of crimes to share their victimization with the public, allowing for greater awareness by law enforcement agencies and people in general about what types of hate crimes are occurring. Social media also allows criminals to brag about their crime both publicly and privately, making it harder for law enforcement agencies to collect evidence that is admissible in court. Finally, social media has also given people the ability to share their views on crimes occurring both locally and across the world, which can help with legislation that affects criminals or victims in different areas.