Digital crimes represent felonies carried out with the help of computers and other technologically advanced gadgets. Such criminal activities encompass identity theft, hacking, malicious coding, online scam, espionage, software piracy, and white-collar crimes. Digital crimes in numerous occurrences entail contemplated application of major disruptive attacks on computer systems as well as terrorism. Numerous theories have been devised to elucidate why people engage in digital crimes. The differential association theory, the social learning theory, and the choice theory are some of the theories that researchers use to shed light on the causes of digital crime.
The social learning theory is anchored on the notion that people develop skills and motivation to engage in criminal activities through interrelations with or exposure to criminals (that is, being influenced by deviant peers). The theory affirms that exposure to crooked behavior offers people the impetus to engage in crime (Miller & Morris, 2016). For instance, digital crimes such as online scams and software piracy are initially learned via imitation, which happens when a person learns the activities and conducts through watching and paying attention. Online scams and software piracy demand a certain scale of skills and expertise. In this regard, digital criminals foster networks that connect and teach others the required proficiencies. Moreover, the people being influenced have a high likelihood of engaging in online scam or software piracy the moment they find that the people engaging in it are succeeding.
The choice theory has been used to explain the causes of digital crime with its concept stating that every person takes part in criminal activity after making a rational selection to undertake it. Such a person first deliberates on the benefits and risks of engaging in such behaviors and only does so if the gains surpass the dangers (Paternoster, Bachman, Bushway, Kerrison, & O’Connell, 2015). An instance of the choice theory is a person practicing identity theft through stealing the personal details of other people online. If by improbable likelihood, an individual were to obtain the personal information of another accidentally, it is his/her choice to either discard it, alert local authorities, inform the owner, or take it and generate a fake identity with the aim of impersonating the owner and stealing from him. A wide pool of studies finds the explanation of this theory appealing because every individual is answerable for their actions, and nobody can be compelled to practice crime against their will.
The differential association theory was formulated to justify the reasons that influence people to take up deviant behaviors. In line with the theory, a person’s environment sways him/her to learn suitable behaviors to endure in the surrounding. Crime mainly happens in societies where individuals within a particular reference group or organization show norms of deviance or compliance. This influences people’s views on the surroundings and happenings around them, in addition to their responses to the incidences (Walters, 2015). The theory affirms that people learn criminal behaviors from their interrelations with the environs and other individuals, especially intimate groups. The differential association theory is applicable in numerous forms of conducts and digital crime. For instance, cybercrime gangs offer a suitable setting that influences youthful individuals to engage in computer-related crimes. Such young people perceive themselves to be innovative and are inclined to criminal activities such as hacking, fraudulence, and identity theft as a means of expressing their creativity.
The differential association theory is relevant in elucidating the emergence of digital crime since digital criminals learn such pervert conducts from their interrelations with others and their surroundings. The theory explains the reason behind the rise of digital crime with a special focus on the means and approaches of tackling the vice. Digital crime has been intensified by the nature of the contemporary home and work setting. Currently, a progressively higher number of people are depending on digital gadgets to accomplish their daily activities such as learning, working, and communicating than in the past (Walters, 2015). Therefore, such an environment offers an appropriate setting for digital criminals to thrive. Moreover, the differential association theory may also be employed to explain the occurrence of non-digital crime, for instance, robbery and drug trafficking. In the majority of cases, drug trafficking and robbery are carried out by gangs. In this regard, individuals who regularly associate with drug traffickers and robbers have a high possibility of being influenced to develop and take part in such crime when judged against other people.
Digital crimes signify criminal activities carried out with the aid of computers and other technically sophisticated gadgets. Several theories such as the differential association theory, the social learning theory, and the choice theory have been formulated to elucidate the causes of digital crime. The social learning theory is rooted in the view that people develop skills and impetus to engage in criminal activities through association or contact with criminals. The choice theory has been applied to explain the basis of digital crime with its conception stating that every person engages in crime after making a rational decision to undertake it. The differential association theory asserts that digital crime has been escalated by the nature of the modern home and work setting where there is increased dependence on digital gadgets. There is a need for increased awareness and creation of strict international laws against digital crime to thwart its occurrence.
References
Miller, B., & Morris, R. G. (2016). Virtual peer effects in social learning theory. Crime & Delinquency, 62(12), 1543-1569.
Paternoster, R., Bachman, R., Bushway, S., Kerrison, E., & O’Connell, D. (2015). Human agency and explanations of criminal desistance: Arguments for a rational choice theory. Journal of Developmental and Life-Course Criminology, 1(3), 209-235.
Walters, G. D. (2015). Proactive criminal thinking and the transmission of differential association: A cross-lagged multi-wave path analysis. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 42(11), 1128-1144.