Online Socialization and Peer Influence: Examining the Effect of Network Size on Personal Offending

• In Event: The Structure and Character of Offender Ties

Abstract

Although the study of peer group processes has a rich history in criminology, technological advancements create new ways peers can socialize with one another. Whereas previous research found a strong, positive association between individual offending behavior and exposure to criminal behavior in online social networks (McCuddy, 2013), the current project examines how this relationship is affected by the size of the peer network. Results indicate there is a nonlinear relationship between exposure to offending behaviors online and personal offending that is dependent on the size of the network, thereby suggesting a threshold effect. An increase in the size of the network will increase personal offending to a certain point. These results underscore the importance of online networks for understanding the etiology of criminal socialization.

Author

• Timothy McCuddy, University of Missouri - St. Louis