Antisocial Media: Crime-watching in the Internet Age

Description

This book provides a cutting-edge introduction to Internet-facilitated crime-watching and examines how social media have shifted the landscape for producing, distributing, and consuming footage of crime. In this thought-provoking work, Mark Wood examines the phenomenon of antisocial media: participatory online domains where footage of crime is aggregated, sympathetically curated, and consumed as entertainment. Focusing on Facebook pages dedicated to hosting footage of street fights, brawls, and other forms of bareknuckle violence, Wood demonstrates that to properly grapple with antisocial media, we must address not only their content, but also their software. In doing so, this study goes a long way to addressing the fundamental question: how have social media changed the way we consume crime? Synthesizing criminology, media theory, software studies, and digital sociology, Antisocial Media is media criminology for the Facebook age. It is essential reading for students and scholars interested in social media, cultural criminology, and the crime-media interface. Front Matter ....Pages i-xi Introduction (Mark A. Wood)....Pages 1-21 Breaking the First Two Rules of Fight Club (Mark A. Wood)....Pages 23-52 Unpacking a Punch (Mark A. Wood)....Pages 53-77 Feeding Violence? (Mark A. Wood)....Pages 79-111 The Digital Arena (Mark A. Wood)....Pages 113-154 Conclusion: Breaking Up and Breaking Down the Fight (Mark A. Wood)....Pages 155-176 Back Matter ....Pages 177-238