Violence

Gang members carry guns and Instagram accounts. Media outlets nationally have reported on a new phenomenon of gang affiliates using social media sites such as Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube to trade insults or make violent threats that lead homicide or victimization. The term for this interaction is internet banging. Police departments in metropolitan areas have increased resources in their gang violence units to combat this issue. Interestingly, there is little to no literature on this issue. It is argued that internet banging is a cultural phenomenon that has evolved from increased participation with social media and represents an adaptive structuration, or new and unintended use of existing online social media. People have examined internet banging within the context of gang violence, paying close attention to the mechanisms and processes that may explain how and why internet banging has evolved. The role of hip-hop has also been investigated in the development of internet banging and highlights the changing roles of both hip-hop and computer-mediated communication as social representations of life in violent communities. The presentation of urban masculinity influences this behavior on social media. Toxic masculinity plays a big hand in creating this mindset within the youth. It forces men to believe that they must be superior to those around them and show their dominance over others, creating much violence. This violence is displayed on Instagram, which promotes this hostility and violence amongst the youth.