Revolution of the Dispossessed: School Shooters and their Devotees on the Web

Global Online Subculture Surrounding School Shootings

“…According to Paton's (2012) research, fandom in school shootings is a subculture that allows teenagers to question social structures. Paton's findings are similar to those of Böckler and Seeger (2013), who saw that, for fans of school shooters, "school shooters not only function as spokespersons for a larger group, but in a sense become the forerunners of a 'revolution of the dispossessed'" (p. 334). Oksanen et al (2014) found that most of the school shooting fans on YouTube belonged to a single network that resembled a small-world network.…”

“…Despite these limitations, our data are strong, and the results of the ethnography and interviews supported each other. This study also contributes to the literature by showing that this is a relatively stable subculture that has existed for a long time (Böckler & Seeger, 2013;Oksanen et al, 2014;Paton, 2012). Researchers should continue to investigate online subcultures such as those with a deep interest in school shootings.…”

“…School shooters have been inspired by the previous shootings and shooters, as well as by the media's portrayals of them (Bondü & Scheithauer, 2012, p. 73, Kiilakoski & Oksanen, 2011Larkin, 2009;Robertz & Wickenhäuser, 2010). The perpetrators have also used the internet and social media to attract followings and to communicate their ideas and ideologies to the public by uploading videos and texts prior to their attacks (Böckler & Seeger, 2013;Kiilakoski & Oksanen, 2011;Larkin 2007Larkin , 2009Paton, 2012;Sandberg, Oksanen, Berntzen, & Kiilakoski, 2014). Perpetrators have also mentioned the desire to become famous as a motivation for their shootings (Lankford, 2014;Larkin, 2009;Sandberg et al, 2014).…”

Student Crisis Prevention in Schools: The NETWorks Against School Shootings Program (NETWASS) – An Approach Suitable for the Prevention of Violent Extremism?

“…Furthermore, Böckler and Seeger (2013) suggest the construction of an "imaginary group identity" (e.g. "school shooters", "loners", "fellow-sufferers") based on an imagined community and a shared destiny that provides a sense of belonging and perspective within identity confusion and hopelessness.…”

“…Violence-specific warning behaviors are verbal or written threats, leakage of violent intentions, preoccupation with violence, or suicidal intentions (Meloy et al, 2012;Meloy & O'Toole, 2011). Perpetrators also were fascinated by previous mass shootings, and often identified with the perpetrators (Böckler & Seeger, 2013). They often had a strong interest in weapons, collected weapons, or had shooting expertise.…”