TY - JOUR

T1 - Pathways to School Shooting Subculture

T2 - Re-thinking Theory Across Strain, Imitation, and Digital Mediation

AU - Mizrahi-Werner, Jonatan

AU - Diederichsen, Martine Bech

AU - Ilsøe, Benjamin Schou

AU - Demant, Jakob

AU - Oksanen, Atte

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V.

PY - 2024

Y1 - 2024

N2 - Since the Columbine High School-massacre, the world continues to witness school shootings. The current state of research presents us with nuanced categories for understanding the phenomenon, such as the school shooters’ use of media, their psychological features, and their intentions. Similarly, the discussion of preventive measures is equally bountiful. While there are a number of empirical studies that are related to digitalization, a gap in how we theorize the meaning of digitalization persists. Our aim is to provide an integrated synthesis needed for understanding school shootings in the digital era. Via a narrative literature review, we identified three explanatory themes, namely strain, imitation, and digital mediation. These were synthesized in order to explain more thoroughly how individuals come to participate in online school shooting subculture, possibly leading to their perpetration of school shootings. Based on this, a model is presented that excels in its focus on the ever more prominent role of digitality in everyday life as well as in its broad social science and behavioral explanations. Finally, the article provides potential venues for further research along with prevention strategies.

AB - Since the Columbine High School-massacre, the world continues to witness school shootings. The current state of research presents us with nuanced categories for understanding the phenomenon, such as the school shooters’ use of media, their psychological features, and their intentions. Similarly, the discussion of preventive measures is equally bountiful. While there are a number of empirical studies that are related to digitalization, a gap in how we theorize the meaning of digitalization persists. Our aim is to provide an integrated synthesis needed for understanding school shootings in the digital era. Via a narrative literature review, we identified three explanatory themes, namely strain, imitation, and digital mediation. These were synthesized in order to explain more thoroughly how individuals come to participate in online school shooting subculture, possibly leading to their perpetration of school shootings. Based on this, a model is presented that excels in its focus on the ever more prominent role of digitality in everyday life as well as in its broad social science and behavioral explanations. Finally, the article provides potential venues for further research along with prevention strategies.

KW - Behavior

KW - Digital mediation

KW - Networked culture

KW - Rituals

KW - School shooting

KW - Social psychology

KW - School shooting

KW - Rituals

KW - Behavior

KW - Social psychology

KW - Networked culture

KW - Digital mediation

U2 - 10.1007/s10610-022-09513-x

DO - 10.1007/s10610-022-09513-x

M3 - Journal article

AN - SCOPUS:85130725715

VL - 30

SP - 21

EP - 38

JO - European Journal on Criminal Policy and Research

JF - European Journal on Criminal Policy and Research

SN - 0928-1371

ER -