Folk Devils and Moral Panics: Media Representation and Moral Panic Surrounding Gang Culture and Organised Crime

This report discusses the theory of moral panic with the help of current situation of gang culture and organised crime surrounding gangs along with media representation of these two subjects. It includes analysis of media representation of folk devils and its impact on public and moral entrepreneurs.

Folk Devils
and Moral
Panic
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Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................2
MAIN BODY...................................................................................................................................2
Analysis..................................................................................................................................2
CONCUSION..................................................................................................................................7
REFRENCES...................................................................................................................................8
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INTRODUCTION
Ganga culture and organised crime related to gangs is centred around urban areas of the
United Kingdom which includes the cities of London, Manchester and Liverpool. In case of
regions West Midlands, south coast and northern England form the base of gang culture (Andell,
2019). Youth ganga culture has always been viewed as an unacceptable threat to British society.
The reason behind the selection of gang culture and criminal organizations is that this topic
includes media and widespread public reaction. Involvement of young people in gangs and the
reaction of British media and culture towards this occurrence can be considered a real life
example of moral panic. The present report includes discussion on moral panic, the media
representation of gangs and moral panic. The aim of the report is to understand the theory of
moral panic with the help of current situation of gang culture and organised crime surrounding
gangs along with media representation of these two subjects.
MAIN BODY
Analysis
Moral panic refers to widespread fear and alarm which is usually irrational because of an
issue which is considered a threat to the moral standards of the society. He moral panic theory
created by Stanley Cohen covers the social phenomenon of moral panic and the vital role of
media in creating situations which lead to moral panic (Deflem, 2020). The case of gang culture
and organised crime of gangs is heavily reported by the media and is involved in series of
criminal activities. The involvement of youth in criminal gangs and their role. This case can be
understood with the help of theory of moral panic which provides stages of moral panic and
response of public or media to moral concerns associated with specific social topic. As per the
theory of moral panic the first stage of the moral panic begins when a social group commits an
act of deviance which is relatively minor because of low numbers or less harm to society. In the
second stage media reports the acts committed by the group in an exaggerated manner and
sensationalises the crimes committed by the group by exaggerating the scale and state of crime
committed by the group (Dudai, 2018). In addition to this, symbolisation of the group in question
is completed by the media which associates them to specific symbols of harm. Symbolisation,
stereotyping and exaggeration of the deviant group assists in generalising the role of the group in
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committing crime and creating image of extreme harm. The narratives surrounding these deviant
group are built on the basis of stereotypes and symbols which presents these group as capable of
committing sever harm to the acceptable moral values and social structures. The theory of moral
panic states that at the second stage media representation depicts the deviant community as folk
devils by enforcing stereotypes and symbols in the minds of public. The third stage of the moral
panic is disproportionate fear in the public about the harm caused by the deviant group
(Mazzarella, 2019). The fear of public is disproportionate as the actual threat of the deviant
group is far less than the perceived threat perpetuated by the media. The fourth stage of the moral
panic is associated with government and police authorities and their response to the increasing
moral panic. The governments reacts to this by passing laws which lower the influence of groups
regarded as folk devils. The reaction of the policing authorities focus is on using any means to
retaliate against the folk devils and decrease moral panic. Deviancy amplification spiral is the
next stage which enhances moral panic. Deviancy of the groups considered as folk devils
increases due to their labelling and targeting by the policy which fuels further media reports and
enhances moral panic. Another way in which deviance is amplified is that the groups in question
start defining themselves as the media representation which enhances their level of harm and
contributes to solidification of stereotypical notions about the group. In addition to this, in some
cases media portrayal of folk devils is exiting in nature which amplifies the size of the group in
near future and maintains the threat of the group as moral harm. Deviancy amplification spiral
stage results in creation of spiral which enhances public concern against the folk devils and fuels
sensualisation of the crimes committed by the group. This theory states that moral panic occurs
at the time of boundary crisis, the moments in which uncertainty related to social norms and
behaviours increases. The boundaries of acceptable social behaviour are tested during moral
panic and usually involve participation of young people. Moral panic helps maintain acceptable
social boundaries; the existence of folk devils is reminder of the collective values of the society
(Monod, 2017). Government and police authorities take actions against the groups labelled as
folk devils to maintain such collectivist value system and this maintaining acceptable social
behaviour.
The media representation of gang culture and involvement of youth in gangs has created
a moral panic in British society. The moral panic is surrounding the involvement of youth in the
criminal gangs which tests the boundaries of acceptable social behaviour. Highly regarded and
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popular media portals such as British Broadcasting channel represent youth involvement in
gangs as a severe threat to the society. Interviews with local gang members are published by the
organisation which depict the exiting and dangerous lives of gang members along with the harm
caused by such gang violence on a daily basis (Life in a gang: 'You don't know who's gonna die
next', 2020). This increases the perceived threat level of gang members by the public as the
severity of harm caused by gang members is increased by a huge amount in the minds of the
general public. In addition to this, in these news articles the also participate in symbolisation of
criminal gang and gang culture by representation gang violence with hooded clothing which is
considered a youth clotting material. Several other stereotypes about youth involvement in gangs
such as poor economic background and unstable family structure are also reinforced in this such
news articles. This depicts the existence of youth gang members as a severe threat to the current
social boundaries in Britain. The participation of youth in criminal activities is sensationalised by
the media which fuels the narrative folk devils among the British public and crates moral panic
against this situation. The public views youth from poor economic background who have similar
symbolism as a part of the gang culture and threat to the British values. The boundaries of
acceptable moral behaviour which seeks to protect youth from engaging in criminal activities
and associates with lower economic status with criminal activities is affected by this media
representation. This is because presence of youth in criminal gangs is an unacceptable social
behaviour which develops fear in public. The criminal gangs luring youth into the criminal world
is a narrative created and by media publications. BBC covered the case of a youth club which
revealed that many adolescent members of the club accepted gang membership due to the lack of
supervision given to these children after the restrictions of COVID-19 (Covid: Youth clubs fear
for children 'lost to the streets' in pandemic, 2021). This article not only highlights the threat of
youth presence in criminal gangs but also engages in symbolism by relating the participation of
youth in criminal gangs with absence activities such as youth clubs to guide such children. The
fourth stage of the moral panic arises when governments and police take action against the
increasing involvement of youth in criminal gangs and threat of violence perpetuated by criminal
gangs. Hackney’s integrated gangs unit is the result of the moral panic surrounding young people
engaging with criminal gangs. Integrated gangs works in partnership to support those involved in
gang violence or those on the periphery of gangs by way of prevention, diversion and, where
necessary, enforcement. IGU works with individuals and communities by treating violence as a
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preventable public health issue. It seeks to avert violence by diverting those who are at risk of
becoming either a victim or perpetrator and supporting those already ensconced in gang crime to
exit their lifestyle and, where necessary, enforcing against those who commit violent crimes and
pose a risk to others. The reaction of the government to label and target youth involved in
criminal gangs leads to deviation amplification spiral. This spiral is further increased by exiting
portrayal of criminal gang members in media and helps sustaining moral panic against youth
involvement in criminal gangs.
The media representation of moral panic is revolves around the folk devil. A folk devil is
term given to a community or social demographic which deviates from accepted social behaviour
and is threat to smooth functioning of the society. The media portrays the folk devil as a huge
threat to existing social boundaries who need to be eliminated in order to maintain the existing
set of moral values and social structures (Pilgrim, 2018). The media representation of folk devils
is stereotypical as certain characteristics and symbols are associated with the folk devils too
generalise the community. This generic media representation of folk devils enable media to
create negative narrative associated with the folk devils which is opted in place of actual
evidence that the folk devils are less harmful in comparison to media depiction and
generalisation of the community. This generalisation and symbolisation becomes the prominent
narrative which is repeated by the media and the public alike. Media organizations select
symbols which are unique to a community or social demographic in order to ensure that the
recognisability of the group increases. Apart from this the, the symbols associated with the
community are highlighted in a negative way so that these symbols become synonymous with
negative connotations in general language. This encourages moral panic over the existence of
such groups. In addition to this media groups are also part of the moral entrepreneurs. As defined
in the moral panic theory moral entrepreneurs refers to institutions and institutions who aim to
assert influence on a group in order to maintain social norms and current moral values of the
region (Seigel, 2018). Media groups along with government, police and religious institutions are
moral entrepreneurs who influence actions against deviant community or folk devils. The
negative and generalised media representations influences actions of other moral entrepreneur by
shaping the public perspective. The symbols which are deemed to be associated with deviant
group by media companies become part of government legislations as a threat to social and
moral value systems. In this way media representation and symbolism affects law-making and
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execution of law. Police target and label individuals and institutions of the region as folk devils
and moral threat on the basis of media representation. This elevates their level of threat in public
and members of the deviant community start viewing themselves as the stereotypical caricature
created by media and consider the usage of symbols popularised by the media as essential part of
their identity. In his way media representation of moral panic not only affects government
institution and policing agencies but also affects the way members of the deviant community
behave. This accelerates moral panic as the media representations and stereotypes become reality
for most individuals in the deviant community and stereotypes become a deep rooted trait of the
particular community (Smith and Pansters, 2020). Labelling and targeting by the police increases
over the specific community and the moral panic moves in a continuous spiral of generalised
media reorientations which affects every individual, community and institution associated with
the moral panic. The sensationalizing of the scale and act of the crime committed by the deviant
community affects other individual and persuades them to become a part of the community in
order to participate in the exciting life as showcased by media. This increases the number of
participants of the deviant community in the future which amplifies the threat level of the folk
devils of the public and perpetuates the moral panic associated with the deviant group for a long
time period. Media plays a central role in moral panic and the amount of time for which the
moral panic perpetuates. The level of threat which is created due to media representation of the
community due to amplification of the deviant group is also under the control of media.
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CONCUSION
From the above report it is determined that media representations of a community
influences public and moral entrepreneurs which creates moral panic. The theory of moral panic
incudes various stages which lead to development of moral panic against a group. The media
representation of a specific community with symbolisation and stereotyping creates a public
narrative which views the community as an opposing force to existing social boundaries and
moral values. This influences religious institutions, government agencies and law enforcement
to take action against the specific community which is denoted as folk devils in the theory of
moral panic. The media representation influences other community members to join the folk
devil community through exiting portrayal of the deviant group. This along with impact of media
representation on the perspective of the community in defining themselves as the stereotypical
depictions results in amplification of deviance. This elevates the moral panic as a spiral which
affects public, moral entrepreneurs and deviant community to create a reality in which the
actions and threat level of the deviant group match the media representation. This spiral
continues and ensures that the moral panic is perpetuated for a long time period.
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REFRENCES
Books and Journals
Andell, P., 2019. Thinking seriously about gangs: Towards a critical realist approach. Springer.
Deflem, M., 2020. Popular culture and social control: The moral panic on music
labeling. American Journal of Criminal Justice, 45(1). pp.2-24.
Dudai, R., 2018. Transitional justice as social control: political transitions, human rights norms
and the reclassification of the past. The British journal of sociology, 69(3). pp.691-711.
Mazzarella, S.R., 2019. Girls, Moral Panic and News Media: Troublesome Bodies. Routledge.
Monod, S. W., 2017. Making Sense of Moral Panics: A Framework for Research. Springer.
Pilgrim, D., 2018. Child Sexual Abuse: Moral Panic Or State of Denial?. Routledge.
Seigel, M. ed., 2018. Panic, Transnational Cultural Studies, and the Affective Contours of
Power. Taylor & Francis.
Smith, B. T. and Pansters, W. G., 2020. US Moral Panics, Mexican Politics, and the Borderlands
Origins of the War on Drugs, 1950–62. Journal of Contemporary History, 55(2).
pp.364-387.
Online
Covid: Youth clubs fear for children 'lost to the streets' in pandemic, 2021. [Online] Available
through <bbc.com/news/uk-wales-57468462>
Life in a gang: 'You don't know who's gonna die next', 2020. [Online] Available through
<https://www.bbc.com/news/newsbeat-55302854>
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