Role of Social Media on Deviance and Crime: A Study on Content Creators of Tiktok

Abstract

During this time of globalization, the mode of recreation and communication has dramatically changed and is oriented around social media. People are finding themselves glued to the screen both for work and entertainment. Like every coin has two sides, these virtual deviances and crime in a society. TikTok is such social media platform that enables us to produce and share short videos and explore ourselves in front of global and local audiences. Recent crime news related to TikTok and the new popular culture of such micro-entertainment prompted this study to add to the literature of cultural criminology. The study aims to scrutinize the uses, features, and contents of the TikTok app to understand its role in crime and deviance in society. It also sheds light on characteristics of crimes and deviances that emanate from TikTok in Bangladesh. The study’s methodology is Case Studies of fifteen crime cases related to TikTok, and Qualitative Content Analysis of ten top profiles of TikTok in Bangladesh, and the ‘For you’ page of TikTok with specific hashtags following convenience sampling. The study found distinct characteristics of crime and deviance related to TikTok, such as performance crime, copycat crime, and fame-driven crime. The study attempted to identify specific crimes such as rape, murder, sexual assault, fraudulence, etc., that have already been committed using this app.