Corey Silvis - CAUSAL ANALYSIS ESSAY Task 3
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Apr 3, 2024
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CAUSAL ANALYSIS ESSAY
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CAUSAL ANALYSIS ESSAY
Corey Silvis
Western Governors University
English Composition C455
Instructor: Rick Kmetz
Student ID# 010872287
CAUSAL ANALYSIS ESSAY
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Causal Analysis Essay
The progression of social media including the anonymity of social media participants, the
dissemination of extreme views, and the publication of personal information have all led to misuse of social media and a new version of modern crime. Internet related crime increased from 2019 to 2020 with particular emphasis on the first months of covid quarantine when social media use increased. The internet and social media specifically have changed the way crimes are
committed. It has made reconnaissance easier and safer for criminals. The ability to invent fake personas has given people with malintent the safety of distance from their crimes. This also causes jurisdictional issues in the court system if the perpetrators are caught. Publishing certain information facilitates a number of different crimes. Social media, while entertaining for many, has caused a new evolution of crime.
Internet predators are on the rise. Online enticement (when someone communicates with another person online with the intent to exploit them, usually children for sexual purposes) spiked from 19,174 in 2019 to 37,872 in 2020. Internet predators can create fake profiles on social media and reinvent themselves according to whatever will work best with their chosen victims. They can review the profiles of potential victims and learn enormous amounts of personal information. They then use this information to get close to their victims, relate to them, and gain their trust. “
The misuse of personal information, such as a woman's name, address, location, and images, has become all too frequent, especially for women. Social media's anonymity and fakeness, as well as jurisdictional issues, have contributed to an increase in online
violence that affects people of all ages and is a global issue.” (Thukral, 2020) For example, in 2004, Bobby Jo Stinnett was murdered by Lisa Montgomery. Montgomery had followed Stinnett’s pregnancy online, befriending Stinnett in an online chatroom. After faking her own
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pregnancy to mirror Stinnett’s, Montgomery went to Stinnett’s home, killed her and removed her
baby from her body in an attempt to pass the baby off as her own. People post their photos, trips,
activities, and other details of their personal lives on their social media which is ripe for the picking by internet criminals. By adopting false identities on social media, internet criminals can
communicate with their victims and set them up for the execution of their crimes.
In the summer of 2011, riots broke out in London as a result of the death of Mark Duggan, who was shot and killed by Tottenham police. The riot was widely known to have been
coordinated through social media. In 2021, the attacks on the Capitol after the presidential inauguration were said to be incited on social media. Several posts made by significant perpetrators were even introduced in court at their sentencing. In some instances like these, social media has become a platform for hate crimes and propaganda. While some use it for peaceful protests and lawful exhibitions, others use social media to disseminate malicious information. These individuals can promote violence in an anonymous way and escape responsibility. “Results suggest that social media can act as a propagation mechanism for violent
crimes by enabling the spread of extreme viewpoints.” (Mueller & Schwarz, 2020) These people
can post and promote hateful or illegal messages and incite violence and hate crimes while still maintaining enough distance to avoid liability for their actions. They can promote hate speech under fake names and personas to avoid prosecution. Social media can spread their message and
their violence on a global scale that was never possible before. People post photos of themselves travelling or at their workplace on social media. Their profiles give information such as their employer, their address, vehicles, and schedules. Burglars
can use this information to determine homeowners are not at home and their residence is open
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for intrusion. Stalkers can use this information to hunt their victims. This type of information lets predators and criminals know when potential victims are vulnerable. Social media also contributes to non-violent crime. Publishing personal information can lead to identity theft and a multitude of forms of fraud. Criminals can glean personal information such as employment, family information and places of residence. The IRS has seen a large increase in unemployment and stimulus fraud since covid. Some of this was caused by individuals posting on social media platforms about their circumstances and the increased detail that came about during quarantine when social media use increased exponentially. According to the Federal Trade Commission, 24.1% of the identity fraud committed in 2021 was caused by information taken from social media. Multi-level Marketing schemes have increased in social media growing by 6.1% in 2021 by using social media to recruit victims. These companies have arguably been referred to as legal pyramid schemes and cost participants millions of dollars per year. Social media, while entertaining for many, has caused a new evolution of crime. It has opened doors to our personal information, giving criminals new ways to perpetrate their criminal
acts including the dissemination of hate, internet predation, fraud, identity theft, and violent crime. People put their whole lives on public display through social media which opens them up to new modern perils. New social media platforms increase in number and usage every year. Unless new ways can be found to offer users protection, the crimes caused by them will increase as well.
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REFERENCES
Muller, K & Schwarz, C. (2020). Fanning the Flames of Hate: Social Media and Hate Crime.
SSRN
.
Thukral, P. & Kainya, V. (2022). How Social Media Influence Crimes.
Indian Journal of Law and Legal Research,
4(2),1-11.