"Seeing is Believing": Deconstructing Digital Witnessing and Shared Crime Stories

• In Event: Narrative and Spectacle Shared Across Spaces: Constructing Danger or Unsettling Constructions

Abstract

Today, an increasing number of crimes are recorded by witnesses and shared online for myriad others to see for themselves. The ability to share crime events as they unfold via mobile apps and social media has democratized news information from diverse perspectives. It has also provided more accurate visual testimony to bolster arrests and convictions. But the ability to share crime online has also led to the exploitation of victims and the spread of misinformation and outlandish stories that, in turn, prompt unwarranted fear and vigilante justice. This paper provides a theoretical framework for understanding the impacts -- both good and bad -- of shared crime stories on public perceptions of crime and criminal justice. It does so by focusing on the roles of digital witnesses who record, share and "produce" its content for virtual audiences. Drawing from survey data on digital witnessing and real-life crime cases from media sources, the paper deconstructs the impacts of witness-storytellers and the crime stories they share in a digital landscape. The framework is meant to provide a foundation for future research in the areas of third-party social control and crime witness intervention in a digital age.

Author

• Karen G. Weiss, West Virginia University