Gainford, Amy Louise ORCID: 0000-0003-2439-3534 (2022) The Challenges of Digilantism for Law Enforcement and Public Order. PhD thesis, University of Leeds.
Abstract
There has been a significant increase in the rise of digital vigilantism (digilantism) in the past decade, with more users having access to social media than ever before. The Internet, widely considered a space for deviance, is now ‘policed’ by citizens, who are quick to mete out justice against those who offend their norms and value. From paedophile hunting to the naming and shaming of ‘Neo-Nazis’, the motivations and methodologies of digilantism are diverse and divisive. But what causes digilantism? Some scholars argue it is driven by the perception of police as ineffective. Others claim digilantism is a form of autonomous citizenship, or social justice, used in lieu of another viable option. This thesis should not be considered a defence of digilantism, but rather a critical examination of the reasons digilantism exists, its potential benefits, and its impact on law and society, beyond the traditional perspective of other literature. Relying on a mixed-methodological design of semi-structured interviews and an Internet-mediated research method of instances of digilantism between 2018-2022, This thesis investigated digilantism as a unique phenomenon, and established four unique typologies: informative, investigative, punitive, and disruptive. The findings of this thesis demonstrated the delicate balance between the challenges digilantism poses to law enforcement, the risks and benefits of it as a practice, and ultimately under what circumstances digilantism may be permissible and acceptable
Metadata
Supervisors: | Wall, David and Basu, Subhajit |
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Keywords: | Digilantism; Internet vigilantism; Public-sourced policing; Surveillance; |
Awarding institution: | University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Education, Social Sciences and Law (Leeds) > School of Law (Leeds) > Centre for Criminal Justice Studies (Leeds) |
Depositing User: | Dr Amy Gainford |
Date Deposited: | 25 May 2023 13:18 |
Last Modified: | 25 May 2023 13:18 |
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