Social Media Consumption and Altruistic Fear of Crime

• In Event: New Media and Crime

Abstract

Many studies have examined how consumption of news and entertainment media affects individual’s fear of crime. However, few studies have examined how social media influences fear. As many youths rely on social media for crime-related information, the influence of social media needs to be investigated. Additionally, past studies on media and fear focus predominantly on personal fear of crime and neglect the impact on altruistic fear. As Warr (2000) suggests, people fear for others (e.g., spouses, children, families) more than they fear for themselves, and gender socialization shapes different forms of altruistic fear for men and women. Using data from the Housing and Neighborhood Attitudes Survey, a 2015 national web-based survey, this study seeks to examine (1) how social media consumption influences individual’s altruistic fear (2) how the influence varies across gender and age groups.

Author

• Ying-Kai Weng, Kent State University