CRIME AND DEVIANCE: Media and Social Construction of C&D Flashcards
How can crime be seen as a “consumer spectacle”?
Media companies know that “crime sells” so it’s become a sort of “infotainment”. Scary, shocking or unusual crimes are reported to grab consumer attention and sell papers.
How is crime used in “agenda setting” by the media and government?
Most people know about events in the world through the media and don’t do their own research afterwards. This means the media can set the political agenda by making the public worried about anything they choose.
What are “news values”?
claim that news companies have capitalist values - they want to make money. Events are filtered by expected sales value before being published, so we only see stories that are considered “newsworthy”
What is the “backwards law”?
Crimes that are exciting or shocking are usually also very rare. Due to news values, they’re always published when they do happen. People think rare crimes are common and common crimes are rare, due to this effect.
What is “media hyperreality” and how does it affect crime?
Baudrillard (2001) claims that the media’s influence is so powerful that they socially construct crime, rather than merely reporting it selectively. If sensational crimes are reported every day and mundane crimes are never reported, people may become desensitised to sensational crime and commit it more often.
What do sociologists mean by “deviancy amplification”?
increase in crime and deviance that happens when it’s exaggerated in the media - this is called deviancy amplification.
- We see crime in the media everyday
- Assume crime is everyone and everyone is worried
- Worry makes us suspicious and we become paranoid
- This state increases likelihood of deviance
What are ‘Folk Devils’?
Folk devils are those scapegoated by the media when there’s a moral panic e.g Mods and Rockers 1960s/70s
What are ‘Moral Panics’?
refers to the paranoid outrage we feel when crime’s always on our mind - we’re worried our moral boundaries are constantly transgressed and we have no control
What do sociologists say about media & crime in the digital age?
The digital media gives us increasingly transient and shocking news in small ‘soundbites’. Increases moral panic by making it even harder for anyone to understand as without the full report we aren’t encouraged to think beyond the headline.
What do Mcrobbie & Thornton say about media and crime in the digital age?
Suggest moral panic is an outdated term for the digital age. We don’t develop cultural outrage when stories change every few hours. Means criminals and corrupt businesses can get away with crime more easily because focus moves quickly
How do sociologists suggest that media causes crime?
Green and Reiner suggest:
- Deviancy Amplification and LAbelling
- Increasing motive by glamorized criminals
- Increasing knowledge and skill of criminals
- Reducing formal and informal control over crime. Media also mock police so people lose confidence and respect in them
- Providing targets
