Social media use is linked to a fear of crime

[Photo: from VCG]

It has long been established that people who watch a lot of television tend to be more afraid of crime. Hours of watching police procedurals, courtroom dramas, and violence-heavy local news can lead one to conclude we live in a very scary world.

A recently published, first-of-its-kind study updates this equation for the digital age. It reports that, for many people, time spent on social media appears to similarly heighten fears of being a crime victim.

The researchers found "overall social media consumption is significantly related to individuals' fear of crime." Surprisingly, the amount of time participants spent specifically interacting with crime-related news items did not explain this result. 

Their study is published in the journal Computers in Human Behavior. 

[The audio clip is from Studio+, produced by CRI] 

(News source: Pacific Standard News)