“Let’s Talk About Stealing Sh*t”: Online Socialization and Its Potential to Influence Offline Offending

Abstract

Social media use has significantly increased in recent years, yet relatively few studies have applied criminological theory to understand how online spaces may influence offline criminal behavior. This study uses content analysis techniques to explore how social media users are exposed to socialization processes on an online forum that promotes shoplifting. Findings indicate that concepts derived from the social learning perspective—such as motivations for shoplifting, techniques for participating in this behavior, and reinforcement for offending—were manifested and spread in this online community. These results suggest that social media users can be exposed to key elements of social learning processes that could impact their offline behavior. The implications of these findings for research and policy are considered.