Citation

Garcia Whitlock AE, Gill BP, Richardson JB, Patton DU, Strong B, Nwakanma CC, Kaufman EJ. JAMA Surg. 2023; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2023, American Medical Association)

DOI

10.1001/jamasurg.2023.4995

PMID

37819673

Abstract

Social media permeates daily life, with more than 70% of people in the US using at least 1 application.1 A growing body of evidence suggests that online interactions can contribute to in-person conflict and violence,2 but the incidence of social media involvement in violent crime is unknown. Social media content that might appear violent to an outsider may be benign if interpreted with the correct context, and vice versa.3,4 With rising rates of violence across the US, social media may provide untapped opportunities for intervention and prevention. Prince George's County, Maryland, has a population of nearly 1 million and is home to the second-busiest trauma center in Maryland. The Prince George's County police department (PGPD) is, to our knowledge, the only US police agency that routinely collects information on social media involvement in every crime report. In this study, we leverage this unique data source to quantify the association among social media, crime, and violence.

Language: en