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THE MEDIA AS A CAUSE OF CRIME - Coggle Diagram
THE MEDIA AS A CAUSE OF CRIME
There has been a long concern that the media has had a negative effect on attitudes, values and behaviour
especially on those groups thought to be the most susceptible to influence (youth, L/C, uneducated)
in the 1930s cinema was blames for corrupting youth,
In 1950s horror comics were held responsible for moral decline
there has been numberous ways in which the media has possibly caused crime and deviance:
imitation( copycat behaviour)
Arousal (viewing violent/sexual imagery)
desensitisation
transmitting knowledge of criminal techniques
stimulating desires for unaffordable goods
portraying police as incompetent
glamourising offending
FEAR OF CRIME
The media exaggerate the amount of violent and unusual crime
they exaggerate the risks of certain groups becoming its victims e.g young women and old people
there is therefore a concern that the media may be distorting the publics impression of crime and causing an unrealistic fear of crime
research evidence to some extent supports the view that there is a link between media and a fear of crime
Gerbner found that heavy users of tv (over 4 hors a day) had higher levels of fear of crime
howver the exitstenc of such correlation front prove that media viewing causes fear
e.g it may be that those who have already feared going out at night watch more tv as they stay in more
MEDIA, RELATIVE DEPRIVATION & CRIME
Lab based research has focused on whether media portrayals of crime and deviant lifestyles lead viewers to commit crime themselves
an alternative approach is to consider how far the media portrays of normal rather than criminal lifestyles might encourage people to commit more crime
e.g left realists argue that the mass media help to increase the sense of relative deprivation
in todays society, the media present everyone with images of a materialistic good life of leisure, fun and consumer goods as the norm, which they should conform too
the result is to stimulate the sense of relative deprivation and social exclusion felt by marginalised groups who cannot afford it
as merton argues, pressure to conform to the norm can cause deviant behaviour when the opportunity to achieve by legitimate means is blocked
the media is an instrument in promoting crime
CULTURAL CRIMONOLOGY, THE MEDIA & CRIME
Cultural criminology argues that the media turn crime itself into the commodity that people desire
rather than simply producing crime in their audience, the media encourage hem to consume crime in the form of images of crime
Hayward & Young argue see late modern society as a media-saturated society where were immersed in the 'meida-scale'- an every expanding tangle of fluid digital images including images of crime
-in this world, theres a blurring between the image and reality of crime
they ay media represents crime and crime control now creates the thing itself
e.g gang assaults are not just caught on camera but staged for the camera
MEDIA AND THE COMMODIFICATION OF CRIME
A Further feature of late modernity is the emphasis on consumption, excitement and imediacy
Hayward and young argue crime and its thrill become commodified
advittisers use media images of crime to sell products
e.g hiphop combines images of street hustler criminality wit images of consumerist success
crime and deviance thus becoming style to be consumed
Haward says crime is packaged and marketed to young people as romantic, exciting, cool and fashionable cultural symbol