Social Media Crime and Its Impact

Abstract

In this chapter, the authors analyze online shopping crime, drug trafficking via the dark web, and cyberstalking to illustrate the wide range of problems that arise when trying to criminalize, prevent, and police these activities on social media. An in-depth examination of cybercrime while recharging DTH cases and their newsworthiness in traditional media is a difficult endeavor that is beyond the scope of this research. Instead, this chapter focuses on the process of agenda-building, especially as it relates to social media, the impact of the social environment, and the potential of “ordinary” people to affect agenda definition. They also investigate the reach of the intended audience, the possibility of a “trial by social media,” and the function of social media in relation to pre-crime, monitoring, and preventive concerns. Finally, they urge criminologists and social scientists to be more daring and critical in confronting the difficulties provided by new technology.