Is Social Media the Cause Active Shooters

[coop44]

Drawing random correlations, a favorite pass time of conspiracy theorists. Mass shooters all have brown eyes! Police are singling out honor roll students! Serial killers all have three names! Moon landings are all fake!

 

[SrMachoSolo]

Drawing random correlations, a favorite pass time of conspiracy theorists. Mass shooters all have brown eyes! Police are singling out honor roll students! Serial killers all have three names! Moon landings are all fake!

Guns kill people!

-Robert

 

[deadeye]

I'm in my 50s and raised in America so I do have some point of reference. I think the first active shooting I can recall was San Diego McDonalds in the early 80s. The next was Texas Luby's. Gangs hadn't really started shooting each other in large numbers until late 80s early 90s.

I believe it's true even today that most active shooters are under 30 and have a social media presence. In between the early 90s to early 2000s I don't recall a lot of events outside of workplace rage or relationships. Instead of focusing the narrative of guns, mental health and drugs, I have never seen a deep dive into FB or other media for a connection.

The mainstream media pick and choose who they make into a name, but every 13 yo and older has their own way to reach out and show the world whatever is in their scrambled brains.

It may play a part but I blame alot of the incidents on medications being (overly) prescribed vs parents doing their jobs raising kids. How many of these give mention of "they stopped taking their meds." Social media plays into young impressionable minds especially on meds but when suddenly off meds it's kinda like jeckle and hyde. The social media presence sometimes gets ignored as well and later gets scrubbed due to the fact no one said anything about their behavior.

Another issue is the Government not doing their jobs either. How many of these mention that the person had mental issues and the fact red flag laws were in effect in that state, the mention of the state or Feds (FBI) was watching them or at least on their radar.

Despite aforementioned the government failed to enforce the laws on the books already which would most likely have resulted in it not happening. There have been several that could have been avoided if they had only used/enforced the current laws but their answer is to create more. Can you say "stupid is as stupid does" of course it's not about lives it's about control always has been.

Kinda makes ya wonder about some of the main stream media rejected "conspiracy theories", but I wont go there.......

 

[BlindedByScience]

I think the role of psychotropic drugs has been greatly underestimated, and basically swept under the rug when it comes to violent crime. Social media doesn't help, that's for sure.

 

[Member 34319]

I think the role of psychotropic drugs has been greatly underestimated, and basically swept under the rug when it comes to violent crime. Social media doesn't help, that's for sure.

It may perpetuate mental health, but I wouldn't say it is a cause of violent crime.

I think violence has always been present in society at a certain percentage. The larger the population, the larger that number. Even if the percentage of violent actors goes down, but the population increases at a greater rate, the number of violent actors still increases.

 

[BlindedByScience]

Respectful disagreement. Psychotropics have been common to almost every mass shooter in the last few years. Their use and effects need to be better understood.

 

[The Heretic]

I would not use the word "cause", but I would use the word "motivation".

I do strongly believe that the motivation of a significant number of "mass" or "active" shooters is the desire to have their actions and their names appear in the media (both "mainstream" and social). A number of these shooters have said as much.

Others have grievances against specific persons and care less (or not at all) about the media. In fact, some of those shooters shoot people on the spur of the moment (e.g., someone who just had an argument with someone).

So, it depends. I do think media coverage (both mainstream and social) of such shootings are contributing factors to at least some of the shootings.

 

[Ducati_Meister]

I think it's a combination of drugs, the lack of proper social upbringing to develop a sense of purpose in life to be a productive member of society etc. A big thing too, is the media needs to stop publicizing these shootings where many of these wackos want their 15 min of fame. There's a reason some LE agencies don't publicize such incidents and threats.

 

[Dungannon]

There are as many theories for why people act out violently as there are theorists. The human mind is a complex organism, and while 'normal' people are perplexed by the actions of the unhinged, the psychosis that underlies the actions are as unique as the individual. Looking for a common denominator is a useless exercise.

The late Dr. William Aprill spent much of his too brief life working with the violent, and trying to understand the working of their minds. He started out as a policeman before returning to school and becoming a psychologist. Rob Pincus put up a memorial page for Dr. Aprill that hosts 90+ videos of interviews and public talks. They are worth viewing, even though it will take a commitment of time over several days or weeks.

add: https://www.personaldefensenetwork.com/article/williamaprill/#

 

[TTSX]

It's GTA and DOOM I tell ya! Fueled by a diet of mountain dew and Doritos

 

[Member 34319]

I don't think the media gets an out on this subject either. Their nonstop coverage of these things further instates a sense of glorifying the bad actors place in history. It's been made known a few times now that the shooter was looking to top the last.

It is truly hard to speculate a cause. Even hard to prove criminal intent prior to committing the heinous act of murder. That is why everyone is so confused and making such efforts to understand it.

However, in reality, it's a cost of our freedoms. Unfortunate cost at best. Allowing consistent ownership of firearms under the second amendment will mean that, no matter how many laws are passed, someone will get a gun %100 legally and commit crime with it. Up until they committed that crime, they were just as normal as everyone here. To say otherwise is truly speculative thought.

 

[GripItAndRipIt]

Just ask Dylan and Kliebold...

That was Marilyn Manson and Ozzy Osbourne's fault. I remember... I was five miles from Columbine when that went down...

 

[bbbass]

That was Marilyn Manson and Ozzy Osbourne's fault.

For sure.... LOL

 

[ilikegunspdx]

I'm in my 50s and raised in America so I do have some point of reference. I think the first active shooting I can recall was San Diego McDonalds in the early 80s. The next was Texas Luby's. Gangs hadn't really started shooting each other in large numbers until late 80s early 90s.

I believe it's true even today that most active shooters are under 30 and have a social media presence. In between the early 90s to early 2000s I don't recall a lot of events outside of workplace rage or relationships. Instead of focusing the narrative of guns, mental health and drugs, I have never seen a deep dive into FB or other media for a connection.

The mainstream media pick and choose who they make into a name, but every 13 yo and older has their own way to reach out and show the world whatever is in their scrambled brains.

Social media makes money based on how much u use a given site/app. U are more likely to use a given site if they feed u info they know you will have an emotional reaction to. There are tons of employees and computers that study what will make a reaction in u and content is filtered to send u only info that will make u mad/cause an emotional reaction. This is true no matter what age but I think younger kids who grow up with it are perhaps more likely to take the info without questioning it. They are probably more likely to spread the info to their friends etc which makes it again more likely to be accepted without questioning it.

incredibly useful info on this topic is the "hacking your mind" 4 part series. It really lays it out incredibly well.

 

[308]

All my life cues come from social media

 

[Member 53328]

Conflict resolution with fists and not guns has been long forgotten and is now deemed "toxic masculinity" That's the problem. Kids need to get hit by other kids. Learn to stand up for themselves. Parents need to learn to parent and not be concerned with being the "cool parent" or the "best friend" striving for acceptance. And 10-13 year olds don't need 1000 dollar phones, Instagram, Facebook, and snap chat. Media is raising kids. Parents no longer hold that roll, instead they just put a screen in front of their child.

 

[American123]

The cause, no, is widespread media access and worldwide proliferation of said media a contributing factor, yes.

I'd say moral relativism is a very large contributing factor, psychotropic drugs are also a contributing factor, generally easy living conditions are also a contributing factor. For example, people who are spending a large amount of their time securing enough food and physical security for themselves and their family generally are not spending a lot of time planning to enact evil.

 

[nwslopoke]

I would not use the word "cause", but I would use the word "motivation".

I do strongly believe that the motivation of a significant number of "mass" or "active" shooters is the desire to have their actions and their names appear in the media (both "mainstream" and social). A number of these shooters have said as much.

Others have grievances against specific persons and care less (or not at all) about the media. In fact, some of those shooters shoot people on the spur of the moment (e.g., someone who just had an argument with someone).

So, it depends. I do think media coverage (both mainstream and social) of such shootings are contributing factors to at least some of the shootings.

My mistake as the OP in the title I did say, cause, but in the body of the message I was asking more does social media get a free ride with little to no accountability.

It's an opinion. My opinion, but most people replied to the title instead of the message.

 

[Catfishmoon]

I agree that some of the shooters seek publicity, but to me, blaming social media is analogous to the left simply blaming the existence of firearms as the cause... The problem is the individual, not the tool.

 

[Nosferatu]

It used to be called "going postal".

Different century, different wording, same effed up humans doing effed up thing to other humans.