DarkNet Diaries: A Hacker's Tale

• In Event: Poster Session 1

Abstract

The present study is aimed at understanding pathways men take to commit cybercrimes against networks and information, financial, and sales of products on illegal online marketplaces. Further, gaining an understanding of how men who perpetrate structure their discourse in the context of a podcast will also be of interest. In doing so, it is expected to gain insight into how individuals situate themselves within society and their communities, how victims are viewed, and where/how power is exhibited throughout discourses. To do so, 34 (25.19%) episodes from the podcast DarkNet Diaries will be analyzed, which include narratives related to the guests' experiences perpetrating cybercrime. The study will be guided by the following research questions: 1) What are the pathways individuals take to commit financial, crimes against networks and information, and darknet illegal market cybercrimes? 2) How are pathways different or similar by type of cybercrime? 3) How does masculinity inform the ways men talk about their pathways to and perpetration of cybercrime? To conduct analysis of each episode, Fairclough’s three-dimensional model of critical discourse analysis (CDA) will be employed to gain an understanding of the narratives deriving from each episode selected from the podcast.

Author

• Rebeka Rocco, University of Central Florida