Violent Posturing Online, Retaliatory Violence on the Street: Illustrating Social Media-based Transmission of Violence

• In Event: Gang- and Group-based Offending and Victimization

Abstract

Homicide rates in the U.S. have spiked in recent years, with most homicides committed with a gun. Gun violence is concentrated within high-risk populations, often spreading through social networks. Many victims of gun violence have been victims previously, and have known other victims and/or shooters. Social network analyses show that being connected to violent individuals increases one's own risk of experiencing violence. The pervasiveness of the internet and social media in everyday life has greatly enhanced social connectivity, accelerating the transmission of violent content. Gang-involved persons may be especially likely to communicate about violence through online social networks, yet research into this phenomenon remains limited to a few focal individuals or incidents. The current study captures the wider net of online social ties, integrating web-based data collection and cyber-investigative techniques to develop a near real-time portrait of the “digital street.” Using publicly-available data on 6 months of gun violence in one U.S. city in 2022, we locate 120 Facebook profiles of victims and suspects, identify mutual friends and follows, and provide examples of discussions of aggression and retaliation. This study is a first step toward leveraging the capacity of social media technology for community violence prevention and intervention efforts.

Author

• Tara Warner, University of Alabama at Birmingham