Violence in the Age of Social Media—Perpetrators, Victims, and You

When all the world’s a stage, mass shooters, terrorists, street gangs, and hate groups perform violent acts for the notoriety that they bring. Technology has created an economy of consumers, producers, and distributors of violent victimization, and violent offenders want the audience to look before they look away, says criminologist James Densley. Urgent yet hopeful, this talk explores the proliferation of violent content across the internet and the tools we can all use to minimize our exposure and subscription to viral violence. Criminologist James Densley studies violence so that one day we might not have to. He’s a Professor of Criminal Justice at Metropolitan State University in St. Paul, Minnesota, and a Fellow of the Hamline University Center for Justice and Law, where he co-leads a mass shooter database project funded by the National Institute of Justice. Lead Videographer: Autumn Vagle Assistant Videographers: Anna Heckmann, Emma Larson Introductory Graphic: Jackson Cobb