Media as a cause of crime Flashcards
(13 cards)
Fear of crime
Exaggerate the amount of violent and unusual crime, and they exaggerate the risks of certain groups of people becoming victims. Therefore, there is concern that the media may be distorting the public’s impression of crime and causing an unrealistic fear of crime
relative deprivation
Left realists argue that in todays society, where even the poorest have media access, the media present everyone with images of a materialistic ‘good life’ of leisure and consumer goods are the norm to which they should conform. The result is to stimulate a sense of relative deprivation and social exclusion felt be marginalised groups who cannot afford any goods.
cultural criminology, media and crime
Hayward and Young see late modern society as media-saturated, where we are immersed in the ‘mediascape’. As a result there is a blurring between the image and the reality of crime, so that the two are no longer clearly distinct or separable. The way the media represent crime and crime control now creates the thing itself.
Commodification of crime
Corporations and advertisers use media images of crime to sell products, especially in the youth market. Graffiti is the marker of deviant urban cool, but corporations now use it in a ‘guerrilla marketing’ technique called ‘brandalism’ to sell products.
evaluation of media causing crime
some sociologists think that influence of the media on violence has been overexaggerated. If the media did cause crime, then we would expect all people who play violent video games to re-enact onscreen violence in real life. Evidence of a connection between media and violent behaviour is not very reliable and the sociologists believe that there must be other factors that cause crime
moral panics
The creation of moral panics is often driven by media which over reacts to a perceived societal problem. The media identify a group as a folk devil or threat to societal values and present them in a negative way. Moral entrepreneurs and other ‘respectable’ people condemn the group which leads to a ‘crackdown’ which in turn can create an SFP
Mods and Rockers
S. Cohen examined the media’s response to the disturbance between to groups of WC teenagers, the mods and rockers. Although the disorder was relatively minor, the media over reacted and over exaggerated the numbers involved and the extent of violence, predicting further conflict and negatively labelling symbols linked to them
Deviance Amplification Spiral
S. Cohen argues media produces a deviance amplification spiral by making it seem as if problems are getting out of hand. This leads to more youths adopting these styles. By emphasising the distinct differences between the mods and the rockers, the media crystalised two identities which encouraged polarisation and created a SFP as youths acted out the role the media had assigned to them
Wider context of moral panics
S. Cohen argues moral panics often occur at a time of social change, reflecting anxieties people feel when accepted values are undermined. Moral panics are a result of boundary crisis where there is uncertainty about where the boundary lay between acceptable and unacceptable behaviour. From a functionalist perspective they are responses to the sense of anomie created by change- collective conscience
criticisms of the concept of moral panics
They assume that the societal reaction is a disproportionate over reaction, this relates to the left realist view that fear of crime is rational. Postmodernists McRobbie and Thornton argue moral panics are now routine and have less impact as there is little consensus on what is deviant.
Cyber crime
Thomas and Loader define cyber crime as computer-mediated activities that are either illegal or considered illicit by some and that are conducted through global electronic networks. Jewkes notes that the internet creates opportunities to commit both ‘conventional crimes’ such as fraud
Wall’s categories of cyber crime
Cyber trespass- crossing boundaries into others cyber property e.g. hacking
Cyber-deception and theft- includes identity theft, phishing
Cyber-pornography- porn involving minors and opportunities for children to access porn
Cyber-violence- psychological damage or encouraging physical harm e.g. cyber stalking
Policing cyber crime
Policing cyber crime is difficult because of the sheer scale of the internet and the limited resources of the police, and also because of its globalised nature, which poses a problem of jurisdiction- which country should someone be prosecuted for an internet offence. However new information and communication technology also provides police with greater opportunity for surveillance. Jewkes argues ICT permits routine surveillance through CCTV etc.
