Citation

Williams ML, Myers AL, Fortuna KL. J. Crim. Justice Pop. Cult. 2021; 21(1): 164-184.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2021, University at Albany, School of Criminal Justice)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

With Internet connectivity becoming increasingly accessible and mobile, more people are turning to the Internet for news. With this has come concern about partisan echo chambers, misinformation, and online filter bubbles which silo users into separate, often disparate media universes shaped by culture, confirmation bias, and personalized content. The potential for online news to influence perceptions of social, public health and public safety issues is ominous, given that perceptions and facts are sometimes at odds. This is also true for crime rates and perceptions of crime risk. Fear of crime and perceived risk of victimization can influence social integration, anxiety and psychological wellbeing, and research on the impact of social media use on these is lacking. Sampling 371 students attending non-residential community college and university campuses in Washington State, we test the predictive power of Facebook use and political ideology on fear of crime and perceived risk of victimization when controlling for sociodemographic characteristics, prior victimization, perceived community cohesion, risk-taking behaviors, and routine activities.

RESULTS indicate that Facebook use and political ideology were not significantly associated with fear of crime or perceived risk of victimization over and above these factors.

Language: en