How Does Social Media Encourage Violence?

Violence has been in existence since time immemorial. Most violent incidences occurring in actual life are first orchestrated and encouraged by increased social media use. There is inadequate evidence denoting the direct relationship with social media. However, the type of online exposure could promote violence. Continually exposing the youths and the general population to violent images and videos reduces sensitivity to violence, prompting aggressive attitudes and behaviors that increase the likelihood of indulging in violence. Social media provides the sharing function where graphic images of dead and badly injured people are shared among social media users. Continued exposure to such content makes people used to such scenes and perceive violence as the new norm. Social media also harbor verbal violence, with online bullies concealing their identity through anonymous profiles to send hateful comments about a particular racial, religious or ethnic group. The hate spewed in the online space is a reflection of real-life situations. Altercations between various societal groups are often worsened by the hate and insults spread through social media.

The ungovernable nature of social media has provided a breeding ground for shared violent videos and games that could be prohibited in mainstream media. Violent content psychologically impacts people, influencing their attitudes and behaviors in the long-run, and increasing the possibility of indulging in violent incidents. Conflicts arising among youth peers is often the leading cause of violence among those age group. Social media could be used to escalate the magnitude of the conflict with the youths opting to use their social media pages to shame each other or give their 'opponents' negative publicity. Youths are ardent social media users, and issues arising in their off-line lives could be trickled down to social media through online attacks that could end violently. Terrorist groups such as Al-Qaeda are increasingly using social media to spread their violent agenda. These terrorist groups use their social media platform to declare their intentions to attack a particular country or group. Characteristically, this criminal group uses the same platforms to take the blame for violent incidents that often result in the deaths of thousands while leaving others with life-threatening injuries. In such scenarios, social media encourages violence as the sympathizers of these terrorist groups could promote their violent agenda to show solidarity.

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