NORMALIZING VIOLENCE ON SOCIAL MEDIA


NORMALIZING VIOLENCE ON SOCIAL MEDIA

By Monique Smith

The questions of the role social media and how it plays into

propagating acts of violence have once again surfaced. Recently,

Jordan Hill, Tesfaye Cooper, and sister’s Brittany and Tanishia

Covington, four African Americans were each charged with aggravated kidnapping, hate crime, aggravated unlawful restraint, and aggravated battery with a deadly weapon in the attack of an 18-year-old mentally disabled man. The foursome’s crime was documented by their own hands as they posted the attack on Facebook. In the video they can be seen and heard making anti-white racial taunts, cutting the victims clothing and hair. Tanisha Covington is 24. Brittany and the two men are 18 years old. Cook County Judge Maria Kuriakos Ciesil dismissed the suspect’s pleas for a reasonable bail denying them bail asking them, “Where was your sense of decency?”

There have been other crimes posted or witnessed via Facebook

live. According to a recent poll cited in an study published by the

American Academy of Pediatricians, 22% of teenagers log on to their

favorite social media site more than 10 times a day, and more than half of adolescents log on to a social media site more than once a day. Seventy-five percent of teenagers now own cell phones, and 25% use them for social media, 54% use them for texting, and 24% use them for instant messaging.

Thus, a large part of this generation's social and emotional development is occurring while on the Internet and on cell phones. Because of their limited capacity for selfregulation and susceptibility

to peer pressure, children and adolescents are at some risk as

they navigate and experiment with social media.

Recent research indicates that there are frequent online expressions of offline behaviors, such as bullying, clique-forming, and sexual experimentation, that have introduced problems such as

cyberbullying, privacy issues, and “sexting.”

Other problems that merit awareness include Internet

addiction and concurrent sleep deprivation. According to a presentation at the 119th Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association during a plenary talk entitled, “Poke Me: How Social Networks Can Both Help and Harm Our Kids,” presented by Larry D. Rosen, PhD, professor of psychology at California State University, Dominguez Hills discussed potential adverse effects. “

Teens who use Facebook more often show more narcissistic tendencies while young adults who have a strong Facebook presence

show more signs of other psychological disorders, including antisocial behaviors, mania and aggressive tendencies,” he said.

While social media can be used as an evidentiary tool in capturing crime, there is now proof that it contributes to the commission of crimes.

There are positives to social media. The shooting death of

unarmed motorist Philando Castille was captured by his girlfriend on Facebook live. Millions of Americans witness the horrific act of an officer acting aggressively resulting in Castille’s death.

While social media continues to play a substantial role in the lifestyles of Americans, law officials and psychologists advise parents to be diligent in monitoring their children's' online presence and social media activities.

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