Gang glocalization: How the global mediascape creates and shapes local gang realities

Hellemont, Elke Van; Densley, James A.

doi:10.1177/1741659018760107

Cited by 41 publications

(33 citation statements)

References 88 publications

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“…Lauger and Densley (2018) examined gang-related themes in 78 rap videos posted on YouTube, contending that the violent themes found in these videos enhanced the social and collective identities of gangs and gang members. Others employ similar strategies to learn about the ways in which gangs represent their expressive and instrumental activities (e.g., Storrod and Densley 2017) and cultivate their reputation (e.g., Hellemont and Densley 2018) online.…”

Section: Gang-involved Youth Use Of Social Mediamentioning

confidence: 99%

When Twitter Fingers Turn to Trigger Fingers: a Qualitative Study of Social Media-Related Gang Violence

Patton

Pyrooz

Decker

et al. 2019

Int Journal of Bullying Prevention

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Mounting evidence suggests that social media can exacerbate tensions among gangs that ultimately lead to violence, but serious questions remain about precisely how conflict online translates to conflict offline. The purpose of this study is to examine the ways in which gang violence can be mediated by the Internet. We conducted a sociolinguistic study with 17 Black males between the ages of 14-24 who self-identified at the time of the study as having current or former gang involvement to determine how online provocations may generate offline violence. We examine the sociolinguistic patterns of two prominent gangs on Chicago's South Side and use qualitative interviews and a vignette methodology to gather in-depth information into the nature of Internetmediated gang violence from multiple perspectives. We identified three forms of social media communication that were interpreted as threating by participants: dissing, calling, and direct threats. We developed a framework for understanding participant responses to tweets and the potential for violence that is a consequence of such posts. Lastly, we highlight racial decoding and importance of context when interpreting the social media communication of Black and Latino youth. This study has important implications for the prevention of gang violence that is amplified by social media communication. Findings can be used to initiate conversations between researchers and practitioners regarding the role of social media for prevention and the ethical use of such tools, particularly for marginalized populations.

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Section: Gang-involved Youth Use Of Social Mediamentioning

confidence: 99%

When Twitter Fingers Turn to Trigger Fingers: a Qualitative Study of Social Media-Related Gang Violence

Patton

Pyrooz

Decker

et al. 2019

Int Journal of Bullying Prevention

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“…He argued that knowledge of gangs was first raised in Britain's deprived neighbourhoods by victims, their parents, and local (but voiceless) youth workers (Pitts 2012). These concerns were soon picked up by media narrators and journalists who, in the absence of any contemporary UK vocabulary, adopted US tropes and language to refer to these different delinquent collectives (see Densley 2011;Van Hellemont and Densley 2018). The discourse adopted often obfuscated the fact that the UK had its own home-grown areas of 'multiple marginality' (Vigil 2002) and that racial discrimination, income inequality, a lack of affordable housing, and conflict over the control of drug markets, had birthed a quintessentially British variety of street gang.…”

Section: Literature Review: a Decade Of Uk Gang Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reluctant Gangsters Revisited: The Evolution of Gangs from Postcodes to Profits

Whittaker

Densley

Cheston

et al. 2019

Eur J Crim Policy Res

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The aim of the current study was to understand how gangs have changed in the past ten years since Pitts' (2008) study in the London Borough of Waltham Forest. The study undertook interviews with 21 practitioners working on gang-related issues and 10 young people affected by gangs or formerly embedded in them. Two focus groups involving 37 participants from key agencies then explored the preliminary findings and contributed to a conceptualisation of a new operating model of gangs. The study found that local gangs had evolved into more organized and profit-oriented entities than a decade earlier. The new operating model rejected visible signs of gang membership as "bad for business" because they attracted unwanted attention from law enforcement agencies. Faced with a saturated drugs market in London, gangs moved out to capture drugs markets in smaller UK towns in "county lines" activities. This more business-oriented ethos has changed the meaning of both territory and violence.

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“…Gangs are also connected to their broader social milieu so that images of gangs found outside of the group influence ideas within the group (e.g., Van Hellemont & Densley, 2019). One should anticipate, therefore, that "Gang member" is a social category involving stereotypical imagery that is embraced and performed by individuals, an idea consistent with Social Identity Theory (Goldman et al, 2014;Hogg et al, 1995;Tajfel, 1982;Tajfel & Turner, 1986).…”

Section: Gangs and Performancementioning

confidence: 99%

Gangs, identity, and cultural performance

Lauger

2020

Sociology Compass

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Although the notion of identity has received substantial attention from sociologists and psychologists, it has not been well developed in the gang literature. Identity accounts for a person's sense of self, which is based on meaningful social interactions and group participation, and becomes a source for publicly performing social roles. Gang membership is one such role that merits significant attention, and existing theories about identity and role performance can help explain variations in criminal behavior among members. This article applies multiple perspectives on social, personal, and collective identity to gangs and gang members. It offers principles to explain how gang identities fuel social performances that mimic, induce, or involve criminal behavior.

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Gang glocalization: How the global mediascape creates and shapes local gang realities

Abstract: The version in the Kent Academic Repository may differ from the final published version. Users are advised to check http://kar.kent.ac.uk for the status of the paper. Users should always cite the published version of record.

Cited by 41 publications

References 88 publications

When Twitter Fingers Turn to Trigger Fingers: a Qualitative Study of Social Media-Related Gang Violence

When Twitter Fingers Turn to Trigger Fingers: a Qualitative Study of Social Media-Related Gang Violence

Reluctant Gangsters Revisited: The Evolution of Gangs from Postcodes to Profits

Gangs, identity, and cultural performance

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