Undoubtedly, social media’s increased popularity has affected how people communicate. One of the lesser expected effects of social media is an increase in the number of crimes associated with these platforms and the altered patterns of criminal activity that result from it. For example, Jones (2020) cites revenge porn, or the practice of publishing a partner’s intimate contact on social media, as one of the results of social media use. Such actions negatively affect the target person’s well-being and mental health.
Another example of the crimes induced by social media is tracking the potential victim’s whereabouts. For instance, Kim Kardashian’s Paris robbery is thought to be the product of social media because the star posted about the exclusive jewelry she had been wearing and reported where she was going using her Instagram account (Jones, 2020). Hence, the criminals can use the features of the social media accounts, such as photos, location tags, and stories, to find potential victims and track their whereabouts.
The patterns of crimes such as identity theft, harassment, and threats were also changed due to social media use. Identity theft is now an easier task for criminals because they can leverage the information from the person’s social media account, such as name or place of residence. Harassment and threats can be facilitated through the use of messaging features on these platforms. Hence, the increased popularity of social media platforms has affected the patterns of crimes by providing criminals with more personal information about their prospective victims and by allowing criminals to use the features of these websites to threaten or post information about other people.
Reference
Jones, B. (2020). The influence of social media on murder [Thesis, California State University]. SCUSB Scholar Works.