‘Media and crime’ is a controversial and vast topic. It includes the influence of media on crime and the criminal justice system, or vice versa. Once Dr. Mark Warr said,
“PEOPLE ARE BOMBARDED WITH INFORMATION ABOUT CRIME FROM THE MEDIA. THAT IS WHAT MAKES THEM BELIEVE THAT THE WORLD IS A MUCH MORE DANGEROUS PLACE THAN IT REALLY IS.”
Television, the internet, print media, and social media have a great influence on public perceptions and understanding of crime. This can be concluded from the graph given below.
Media influencing Crime
The media might “advertise” particular forms of deviant behavior. In addition, It seems less credible that media reporting might encourage citizens to commit crimes. In the example of the 2011 riots, the vast majority of the rioters processed by the criminal justice system had previous convictions. But there is a strong association between perceptions of media messages and observed behavior, especially on children.
The portrayal of violence, drugs, alcohol, and sexual abuse in the media has been known to adversely affect the behavior of children and adolescents. Media is using aggressive techniques to portray news that is affecting viewers.
It elevates violent behavior by spreading fearful and insensitive attitudes by diminishing their social values.
Role of Social Media
The most commonly reported and seen criminal cases that occur on social media. It involves people making threats, bullying, and harassing others online. Recently, the Bollywood actress Rhea Chakraborty reported the two Instagram accounts. It was due to the offensive and threatening messages she was receiving.
Complaining to the media or appropriate industry bodies and regulators about material or policies that threaten the community as well should be necessarily done.
So falling crime rates coincide with the rise of violent video games and increasing violence on TV and cinema. Then should we conclude that media violence is causing a drop in crime rates? Of course, not. Crime is the product of social excess.
Therefore, developing skills in monitoring and analyzing media content should be everyone’s priority.
AUTHOR: Aashi Bansal
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