6.media and crime (c&d) Flashcards
crime as consumer spectacle
-media news is full of stories of crime & deviance which have become an integral part of contemporary media infotainment, in which info about crime is packaged to entertain
-e.g. crime watch, traffic cops
hayward and young (2012)
-argue advertisers have turned images of crime & deviance into tools for selling products in consumer market, such as way things like rap, urban hip hop and video games combine images of criminality, street gang culture & designer chic that represent crime as a style
media representing crime
criminals:
-super villain
-incompetent
-psychopath
-planner
victims:
-helpless female
-vigilante male
-ethnic minority
-innocent
police:
-super intelligent
-bumbling idiot
-always gets bad guy
fictional crime and media distortion
-madel: over representations- talks about over representation of crime in media e.g. we see far more murders in fictional media than what we should
-between 1945-85 there were:
•10 billion crime thrillers sold
•25% of tv is crime shows
•20% of movies are to do with crime
-over representation can lead to fear of crime, but also false sense of what crime is like
surettes law of opposites
-what we see in media is actually direct opposite to what happens
-e.g. property crime is high in stats but not in media, because it isn’t exciting
-stranger raped are very rare, unlike what we see in media
-in media police always get their criminal & there is nice ‘tidy’ ending, but in reality, a lot of crime that is reported isn’t always resolved
-impact- fear of crime, hyper reality where ppl are unable to differentiate between fictional and real life criminality
factual crime
criminals:
-under class, ethnic minorities, young, men
-can apply surettes law of opposites- actually who are more likely to be victim rather than perpetrator. creates fear of this social group
victims:
-if you happen to be m/c, white, female, have nice family etc- going to be on news if you’re victim
police:
-corrupt, brutality, racism, incompetent
-link to covid- nurses and doctors were angels, praise for nhs, police didn’t get any of this despite being ones out enforcing lockdown
how does this cause media distortion
-kidd hewitt & osborne- “crime is a spectacle”
media sees reporting of crime as driven by need for spectacle. argue these cases become spectacles bc we’re repelled but also fascinated
-neil postman- media coverage of crime is inc mix of entertainment & sensationalism leading to what postman refers to as infotainment
-felson- “dramatic fallacy” argues drama & speculation surrounding crime is put on to get viewers
greer and reiner (2012)
-media always seeking out newsworthy stories of crime, exploit possibilities of ‘good story’ by dramatising some crimes
-reiner (2007) suggests media coverage of crime is filtered through values & assumptions of crime thriller and film script writers about what makes a story worth telling
hypodermic syringe model
-believes that media can have direct & immediate effect on audience
-model sees audience as ‘homogenous mass’
-sees audience as passive, and believing what they see in media without questioning content
-context creators can use their media productions to manipulate vulnerable audiences into thinking or acting in certain ways
deprivation
-media presents images of everyone with perfect life, provides unobtainable ideas of rich and famous which can lead to ppl committing crime to achieve theee lifestyles
-e.g. made in chelsea
desensitisation
-watching violence in media can lead to lowering of people level for shock value meaning they’re no longer horrified by it & can be more likely to commit act themselves
-e.g. gta, call of duty
imitation
-idea that people will act out crimes and violence they view via media. some media viewers will attempt to imitate crimes that they see, and these are referred to as ‘copycat’ crimes
arousal
-idea that violent and sexual imagery in media may ‘stimulate’ potential criminals and may become factor in them turning to crime
-inc adrenaline and endorphins lead to ppl engaging in risky and criminal behaviour
school of crime
-ppl can learn criminal techniques through the media, whether it’s using media to communicate and search or simply watching tv shows and films and learning from them
-watching crime shows & news can help criminals to hone their skills and learn how to be less detectable in their crime
glamorisation
-tv shows such as sopranos provide glamorised view of criminal lifestyle which can lead to to ppl wanting to emulate it and be involved
media as cause of crime
-not everyone who consumes media commits crime therefore not sole cause of crimes
-some argue that rather than being desensitised by violent media people are sensitised by it. if ppl see horrific consequences of violent behaviour, they were less likely to act in violent way
fear of crime cycle
-media caused fear of being a victim of crime
-people spend more time at home
-people consume more media
-generates more fear of crime
moral panic schlesinger and tumbler 1992
-fear of crime comes from over representation of certain types of crimes
-by having over rep of violent crime, murder, sex crimes, creates fear bc people don’t want to be victim of those types of crime
moral panics stan cohen
-theory of moral panic and folk devils.
-media creates public anxiety from problem they is threatening the moral standards of society, it’s over exaggerated and then police get involved
-police target that particular crime due to media coverage , consequently leading to more arrests and the cycle of moral panic
moral panics miller and reilly
-moral panics are used as ideological control
-by creating moral panic where ppl become fearful of being a victim of crime by particular social group, can create control
-by having over rep of violent crime, murder, sex crimes it creates fear bc people don’t want to be victim of those types of crime
McRobbie and Thornton: moral panics are an outdated concept
-suggests moral panic as cause of fear of crime aren’t as prevalent as they once were
reasons:
-frequency-inc, no longer noteworthy
-context- difficult to get majority of society to be against particular group
-reflexivity-some groups try to create moral panic for their own benefit
-difficulty- less certainty about what is unambiguously bad today so morale panics harder to create
-rebound-ppl wary about starting them as it may rebound
media as moral entrepreneurs
-moral entrepreneurs are people, groups or organisations with power to create or enforce rules which define deviance
-media establishment themselves as the self-appointed guardians of national morality by labelling & stereotyping certain groups & activities as deviant & as social problems
deviancy amplification, moral panics and the media
-small group commit some act of deviance
-media’s news values pick up on interesting story, ‘problem groups’ identified
-media produce headlines, stories & photos to interest readers & viewers
-to maintain readers interest, original deviance is amplified, causes of original deviance is simplified
-group labelled as folk devils & stereotyping occurs
-more deviance occurs as ppl become more aware of it as result of media’s interest
-moral panic develops. public concern is aroused at real or imaginary ‘threat’ to society
-more social control
do media cause crime
-labelling, moral entrepreneurship & deviancy amplification suggest media reporting can create /make crime worse
-motives for crime-media’s promotion of consumerist culture creates crime by intensifying relative deprivation in what young called bulimic society, or generating strain, or through images of crime encouraging ppl to commit crime
-news means of committing crimes- new media & media tech provide new opportunities for cybercrimes
-providing targets for crime- media hardware & software provide new targets for property crime
how has globalisation impacted crime-global risk consciousness
-globalisation
