“Let’s Talk About Stealing Sh*t”: Online Socialization and Its Potential to Influence Offline Offending”

• In Event: Lightning Talk: Cross Section Between Technological Advancements and Research Over the Life Course

Abstract

Social media use has significantly increased in recent years, yet relatively few studies have
applied criminological theory to understand how online spaces may influence offline criminal
behavior. This study uses content analysis techniques to explore how social media users are
exposed to socialization processes on an online forum that promotes shoplifting. Findings
indicate that concepts derived from the social learning perspective—such as motivations for
shoplifting, techniques for participating in this behavior, and reinforcement for offending—were
manifested and spread in this online community. These results suggest that social media users
can be exposed to key elements of social learning processes that could impact their offline
behavior. The implications of these findings for research and policy are considered.

Authors

• Samantha Brown, University of North Florida

• Jonathan C. Reid, Texas A&M University

• Wesley Myers, Center for Domestic Peace, Sylva, NC, USA