Virtual punishment in the making: When citizen journalism enables processes of shaming and online victimization

Film clips and still pictures captured by civilians, or citizen journalists, are increasingly used as evidence by judges or the police to prove specific accounts of events. This kind of visual data is, however, not without problems. The aim of this paper is to analyse how viewers perceived a mobile phone film clip as naturalistic data, enabling processes of shaming and eventually a ‘justice’ process on the Internet, including virtual punishment of the person filmed by the photographer. In the clip, a taxi driver records video of an agitated female customer whom he hinders from leaving the taxi. The film is then distributed on YouTube, where it attracts remarkable negative attention. However, the film clip is only one of several possible accounts of the filmed incident, as demonstrated by the police report about the incident as an alternative account showing that viewers cannot rely on the citizen journalistic film clip as objective, naturalistic data

Trygghet i skärgårdsmiljö : En studie om rädsla för brott i Åboland

This study examines safety and fear of crime in Åboland, a predominantly rural area in southwestern Finland. It also examines crime and criminals in the area, as well as the distinctive social control that characterises Åboland's eight municipalities. The study continues two strands of research, the first about criminality and fear of crime in societies that are considered safe by their inhabitants, the second about safety and lack of fear of crime in Finnish societies. My emphasis on social control originates in analytical abduction ? a combination of analytical induction and deduction. My attention has been drawn to the concept ?social control? in both the theoretical and empirical phases of this study. Both qualitative and quantitative methods have been used. I discuss seven elements that can increase fear of crime, using them as tools to analyse the inhabitants? experiences and descriptions of safety: degree of urbanisation, environmental design, integration, trust, vulnerability, victimisation and mass media. The safety in the Åboland area consists of several aspects. Many of the municipalities are connected to the mainland by ferry, which create visible borderlines between Åboland and the world outside. Åboland can thus be seen as a ?natural? gated community with the ferries keeping out ?dangerous? elements. Also, in Gemeinschaft societies such as Åboland, there is a considerable amount of trust between the inhabitants. This personal trust between inhabitants takes various forms. It is common practice to keep front doors, bicycles and cars unlocked. It is also common to trust neighbours or friends to provide help, for example in dangerous or threatening situations. However, there are also dangers in the area. These dangers, of which drugs and drunk drivers are considered as most severe, increase the fear of crime. Most local offenders are nevertheless seen as non-dangerous, often because their crime is considered to be an unintentional result of inebriation rather than truly ?intentional? offending