Open AccessWhy Individuals Choose to Post Incriminating Information on Social Networking Sites: Social Control and Social Disorganization Theories in Context
Author(s) -
Michelle Kilburn
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
international review of information ethics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2563-5638
DOI - 10.29173/irie203
Subject(s) - commit , mainstream , the internet , context (archaeology) , globe , sociology , social network (sociolinguistics) , perception , control (management) , public relations , social psychology , internet privacy , social media , psychology , political science , world wide web , geography , computer science , archaeology , database , neuroscience , artificial intelligence , law
Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, and many more social networking sites are becoming mainstream in the lives of numerous individuals in the United States and around the globe. How these sites could potentially impact one’s perception of community, as well as the ability to enhance (or impede) strong social bonding, is an area of concern for many sociologists and criminologists. Current literature is discussed and framed through the lenses of social disorganization and social control theories as they relate to an individual’s propensity to commit crime/indiscretions and then post comments relating to those activities on social networking sites. The result is gained insight into the communal attributes of social networking and a contribution to the discussion of the relationship among the social components of the internet, criminal activity, and one’s sense of community. Implications and areas of future research are also addressed.