Law, Order, and Social Media: How Twitter/X Shapes and Amplifies Public Perceptions of Policing

• In Event: Media and social construction of crime III

Abstract

This study examines public sentiment towards policing in England through a viral 13-second social media altercation involving Metropolitan Police officers in Kingston upon Thames, London. A dataset of 5,416 interactions was extracted via NodeXL and analysed for thematic clustering, sentiment categorisation, and emotional lexicon mapping. The findings show that public engagement with the altercation was characterised by criticism of the police, with dominant themes of incompetence, gendered perceptions of officer capability, and systemic failures within British policing. Sentiment analysis revealed an overwhelming prevalence of negative sentiment, with anger and disgust as the most frequently expressed emotions. The data also highlighted the delegitimisation of police authority, with social media narratives positioning law enforcement as ineffective. Emoji analysis reinforced these sentiments, with laughter (😂, 🤣) and sarcasm (🤡, 🤦) used to mock the police, while terms such as ‘wet wipes’ and ‘chocolate teapot’ used to describe their perceived ineffectiveness. We demonstrate the role of social media in shaping and amplifying public perception of the police. We discuss the short-lived yet intense nature of social media outrage, the challenges of digital policing narratives, and the need for the police to engage proactively online to rebuild public trust.

Authors

• Josh Bullock, Kingston University London

• Francis Martin Dodsworth, Kingston University London