Topic 7 - Media as a cause of crime

Ways media might cause:
 - imitation
 - arousal
 - desensitisation
 - transmitting knowledge of criminal techniques
 - target for crime
 - stimulating desires for unaffordable goods
 - portraying police as incompetent
 - glamourising offending

Media exaggerate amount of ciolent + unusual crime + risks of certain groups becoming victims - concern media distorting public's imperssion of crime, causing unrealistic fear. Gerbner et al found heavy TV users higher levels fear of crime.

Greer + Reiner (2012) - much 'effects' on media as cause of crime/fear of crime ignores meaning viewers give to media violence eg may give diff meanings to violence in cartoons - interpretivist view.

Lab based research focused on whether media portrayals of crime -> viewers committing crime themselves. Alternative view, how far media portrayals of 'normal' rather than criminal lifestyles also encourage to commit more crime. Eg LRs argue mass media help increase sense of RD.

Today's society, where even poorest have media access, media present images of materialistic 'good life' as norm, -> RD, social exclusion felt by marginalised groups. Pressure to conform -> crime.

CC argues media turn crime into commodity people desure - encourage to consume crime. Hayward + Young (2012) see late modern society as media-saturated society, immersed in 'mediascape' where there's blurring b/ween image + reality of cirime. Way media represent crime now constitutes/creates real thing.

Crime + thrills become commodified - corps + advertisers use media images to sell products eg GTA.

Crime + deviance become style to be consumed.