Policing and social media

Abstract

Symbolic interactionism has taught us that social order is a symbolically communicated order. Police are recognized as primary reproducers of social order, and media formats play an essential role in the reproduction process. This chapter highlights some of the more recent symbolic developments regarding police use of social media to gain the co-operation of citizens in ways that serve the interests of police. Examples are provided to illustrate the manner in which police use of social media has altered institutional police practices to include ways of conditioning the public, self-promotion, and the expansion of social control, all key facets in the reproduction of social order. A basic argument is that police use of social media has changed the public face of police work in a manner that is consistent with the logic of social media. Police agencies develop new ways of using social media to meet institutional and strategic objectives that align with the immediate and emotive logic of social media, where increased importance is placed upon media performance.