Running Head: POPULAR CULTURE AND CRIME 1

Popular Culture and Crime

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POPULAR CULTURE AND CRIME 2

The increased interest on internet and internet crimes depicts the nature of the society

more than the crime.

Introduction

The internet is conceivably the greatest technological advancement by humanity in the

recent whereby it is growing at a stunning pace (Trotter &Chythlook, 2016). The Internet can be

best referred to as the global connection of computers creating a network that provides

information through the use of communication facilities such as protocols and interconnected

networks (Furlong & Lipson, 1997). It is one of the contemporary tools that individuals interact

with on a daily basis. This essay will argue that the evident obsession with internet and internet

crimes depicts how the society is rather than the internet and its related crimes. The first section

of this essay will cover the characteristics of the internet and what it tells us about the attitudes,

beliefs, norms, values, anxieties of the society which it was produced. The second section will

expound on how, why and in what ways did the society respond to this tool. It will also try to

show to what extent this tool was criminalized by covering how and why it has been

criminalized. It will talk about the two different criminal behaviours attributed to the use of the

internet; copycat crime and cybercrime (Helfgott 2008). These behaviours constitute what we

can refer to as internet crimes. Accordingly, the section will enumerate the different frauds that

have been witnessed that have criminalized internet. The final section will give further details on

the two criminal behaviours associated with the use of the internet. The section will go further to

expound on how the internet crimes manifest themselves and the extent to which they affect the

society at large by use of the liquid modernity approach by Carabellese et al. (2015). The

concepts of individual, the community as well as freedom and responsibility have been faced

with uncertainty and are becoming unintelligible due to the shift in space-time resulting from the
POPULAR CULTURE AND CRIME 3

rampant use of the internet (Carabellese et al. 2015). Individuals are taking advantage of the

anonymity and freedom to perpetrate crime rather than exchanging useful information and

engaging in healthy interactions.

As mentioned earlier, internet crimes can be categorized in terms of the behaviour

exhibited by the criminals. But before get to discuss about the crimes, there is need to understand

the internet in general. The internet can be termed as the most important technological

advancement that has been realized the over the last decades. It has several characteristics that

make it a unique and powerful technological advancement. The list of the characteristics is broad

and includes its universality, interactivity, accessibility, anonymity and temporal indeterminacy

(Potts, 2014). Furthermore, the internet relies on hyperlinks/hypertexts, facilitates republication,

has a prominence of intermediaries, can shift the balance of power in the offline, uses

multimedia characters and has a long-term impact in the sense that it uses permanent archives

(Potts 2014). Based on the above characteristics, it shows that the society was anticipating

interacting with each other globally and getting information with ease even in anonymity. The

society believed in a tool that brings people closer. Similarly, they seem to value freedom,

sharing and learning. Due to its growth and expansion, the use of internet has exposed the

attitudes, beliefs, values, norms, and anxieties of the society. The attitude of the society is

reflected in the increased use of internet and therefore can be argued to be a selfish one as they

do whatever they want without minding the consequences. The people seem to have believed in

the changes brought about by the internet. The anxieties of the society are reflected in the daily

use of the internet, the main one being learning. The Internet can make it possible for our

educational system to provide students with access to globally housed knowledge (Baglione,

Diemer & Zimmerer, 2010). Similarly, Individuals and the families at large can easily access
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information related to their wellbeing. This information can prove to be helpful in initiating a

rapid response to illness and embarking on a positive, proactive lifestyle. The Internet can,

therefore, be viewed as a communication vehicle; in which it allows individuals better

understand the world than they previously knew it. According to Baglione, Diemer & Zimmerer

(2010), viewing images of the world is now easy at the comfort of a computer screen. The

overall impact is that all the people in the world can communicate without the need for

secondary interpretation and with limited or no interference due to the anonymity of the

individual. The internet is a tool that has potentially changed the lives of individuals and the

relationships existing in the society. For instance, it has eliminated distance and created more

freedom in the society. Individuals no longer need to have to travel, go out for shopping, go

outdoors to socialize or even move from one place to the other for work. All these tasks can now

be done through the internet. This shows a society that is well exposed but which lacks close

interaction. Members of the same community do not interact more often than before. However,

the use of internet has led to the emergence of crimes and scams related to auction fraud, internet

access, sales fraud, website design, porn sites, sham franchises, working at home and travel

(Carney & McNamee, 2000). In most of the cases, the perpetrators do this for financial gains or

fun (Case & King, 2017). The above frauds give rise to two criminal behaviours related to the

use of the internet; copycat crime and cybercrime (Helfgott 2008). According to Helfgott (2008),

these behaviours cut across major crime categories and have distinct features and will become a

significant part of the crime in the current century. Copycat criminals have distinct

characteristics which include mental disorder, lack of identity, extremist beliefs, social isolation,

use aggression to solve conflicts and they trust the media and the internet (Helfgott 2008). On the

other hand, cybercrime criminals have professional skills, they are not present in the crime scene,
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they often target institutions and their motives are heterogeneous (Helfgott 2008). Both

behaviours can be violent, sex, economic, public order, or political crimes. Technology shapes

the nature and presentation of the two crimes (Helfgott 2008). Precisely, Copycat Crime leads to

another crime in which the offender appropriates the aspects of the original crime. These crimes

occur after the individual has witnessed violence, murder, terrorism, tampering, fictional rape

and robbery on the internet. On the other hand, cybercrime can be referred to as the use of

computers and other technological devices for illicit purposes through activities such as theft,

electronic vandalism fraud, entering into computer systems and networks and violation of

intellectual property rights.

Criminologists Carabellese et al. (2015), argue that the concepts of individual, the

community as well as freedom and responsibility have been faced with uncertainty and are

becoming unintelligible due to the shift in space-time resulting from the rampant use of the

internet People take advantage of anonymity to engage in criminal behaviour. This is what is

referred to as liquid modernity approach to understanding cybercrime. According to Williams

(2008), “The core of the argument is that while using computers people feel anonymous, so

unconstrained and released to behave badly; they feel they can deviate with impunity. If this

were true, it would predict much more deviant activity. Deindividuation takes this further: when

a person’s self-awareness is subjected to a group, inner restraints are lost, they lose their

individuality” (p.145). This can be used to explain why individuals engage in several crimes on

the internet. Sullivan (1999), states that criminal feel that the web offers anonymity and prevents

the criminal from being caught hence creating an opportunity to do the crime. This means that

the internet has become a major source and breeding ground for crime. Criminals can hack

people’s accounts and withdraw money, send viruses to computers and exchange pornographic
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materials with minors. The computer viruses and worms are very difficult to trace, and therefore

they can spread easily within interconnected computers without being noticed (Barnes 2004).

Similarly, the use of internet has led to the availability of sex-oriented materials. Paedophiles use

the internet to lure children into sex (Bates & Metcalf, 2007). In general, the perpetrators are

both women and men who just use their computer to victimize another individual.

The internet has greatly influenced criminal behaviour. It has created a virtual space

known as cyberspace to commit cybercrime (Helfgott, 2008). This space allows for crimes

related to drugs, weapons, pornography, security breaches and information theft. Through the use

of the internet, individuals engage in economic crime, organized crime, and terrorism. Copycat

crimes, on the other hand, have been greatly influenced by technology. According to Helfgott

(2008), the crime is inspired by an earlier publicized crime. This means that they occur after the

individual has familiarized himself or herself with the crime through the internet. However, it is

often difficult to understand if a certain crime or offense is linked to an earlier offense.

Sometimes crime can be characterized as copycat while in the real sense they are not.

Sociologists in the past, the 1970s tried to explain the copycat phenomenon by suicide.

Consequently, they concluded that that the suicide rates increased with the level of suicide

coverage in the media. This does not leave out the influence of internet since an individual

exposed to suicidal scenes will be able to commit suicide with ease. In the present world,

copycat crimes are often evident more so in the youths who have been addicted the most by

internet use. Individuals assume that everything on the internet is allowed and few consequences

exist from anonymity and limits of time and space. Consequently, the individual is unable to

differentiate between reality and the virtual world. Sexual behaviour can be defined by the

anonymity of the individual and the link too. The individual will be free to do according to his or
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her wish under different circumstances. The internet can create great anxieties to an individual.

Once the individual is not worried about identity, he or she will be free to access any material

related to sex. Ultimately, the arousal caused by these materials will pressure the individual to try

and replicate what he or she saw to another person even if it is by force. On another viewpoint,

the use of internet has led to environmental crimes. Companies use the internet to give

misleading information about their environmental accountability (Holcomb, 2008). They give

false information about their practices and the effects on the environment through misleading

campaigns, news, and adverts on the internet.

According to Telecom (2016), cybercrime is becoming more confrontational and

aggressive as illustrated in the Internet Crime Threat Assessment report in of the period 2015-16.

The report states that it is vital to have a collective effort from concerned departments and

nations to combat the ever-rising threat of cybercrime. The way forward is to have a strong

system that makes use of technological brilliance to counter the threat as it not only affects an

individual but also affects government departments. According to a report by Trends Magazine

(2011), the criminals engage in these crimes for various reasons which may be financial,

geopolitical, fun and notoriety. The notorious group may be termed as the most difficult to deal

with as they are only interested in making a name for them hence defending against them is a

nightmare. The fact that they are not concerned with the damage and the inconvenience they may

create make them a difficult group to deal with. Precisely, as long as we are using the internet

and we are dependent on cyberspace, we will always face the challenges brought about by

cybercrimes. The society has witnessed a revolution and often interacts through the internet. The

internet has become the medium of business and exchange of information. This comes up with
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the advantage of saving time and resources. Consequently, the society will continuously face the

threats of cybercrimes due to this reliance on computers and internet.

Conclusion

In conclusion, it is no doubt that the advancement in technology and expansive use of

internet has been accompanied by increased crimes. It has led to the globalization of crime as

opposed to its original purpose of allowing global access to information and positive social

interaction. This shows that the society itself is lacking morals and these acts portray the nature

of the society more than the internet and its related crimes. This has been evident in the various

criminal behaviours resulting from the use of the internet. There have been increased copycat

crimes and cybercrimes due to the use of the internet. This has led to several crimes such as

auction fraud, internet access frauds, sales fraud, website design frauds, porn sites, sham

franchises, working at home and travel scams being perpetrated by criminals. Therefore,

concerning all these frauds, it is evident that the society has lost its morals and interest on the

internet and internet crimes tells more about the society rather than the internet itself.
POPULAR CULTURE AND CRIME 9

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