Abstract
According to criminological research, online environments create new possibilities for criminal activity and deviant behavior. Problematic social media use (PSMU) is a habitual pattern of excessive use of social media platforms. Past research has suggested that PSMU predicts risky online behavior and negative life outcomes, but the relationship between PSMU and cybercrime victimization is not properly understood. In this study, we use the framework of routine activity theory (RAT) and lifestyle-exposure theory (LET) to examine the relationship between PSMU and cybercrime victimization. We analyze how PSMU is linked to cybercrime victimization experiences. We explore how PSMU predicts cybercrime victimization, especially under those risky circumstances that generally increase the probability of victimization. Our data come from nationally representative surveys, collected in Finland in 2017 and 2019. The results of the between-subjects tests show that problematic PSMU correlates relatively strongly with cybercrime victimization. Within-subjects analysis shows that increased PSMU increases the risk of victimization. Overall, the findings indicate that, along with various confounding factors, PSMU has a notable cumulative effect on victimization. The article concludes with a short summary and discussion of the possible avenues for future research on PSMU and cybercrime victimization.
Highlights
In criminology, digital environments are generally understood as social spaces which open new possibilities for criminal activity and crime victimization (Yar, 2005)
In the first model (M1), Problematic social media use (PSMU) significantly predicted the risk of victimization if a participant reported even occasional problematic use (AME 0.06; p < 0.001)
We examined the longitudinal effects of PSMU on cybercrime victimization using panel data from Finnish social media users
Summary
Digital environments are generally understood as social spaces which open new possibilities for criminal activity and crime victimization (Yar, 2005). Researchers have proposed that the outcomes of social media use depend on the way platforms are used, and that the negative outcomes are concentrated among those who experience excessive social media use (Kross et al, 2020; Wheatley & Buglass, 2019). The notion of problematic use is linked to excessive and uncontrollable social media usage, which is characterized by compulsive and routinized thoughts and behavior (e.g., Kuss & Griffiths, 2017). The most frequently used social scientific and criminological accounts of risk factors of victimization are based on routine activity theory (RAT) (Cohen & Felson, 1979) and lifestyle-exposure theory (LET) (Hindelang et al, 1978). RAT and LET were originally developed to understand how routines and lifestyle patterns may lead to victimization in physical spaces, they have been applied in online environments (e.g., Milani et al, 2020; Räsänen et al, 2016)
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