Drug dealers gone digital: using signalling theory to analyse criminal online personas and trust

Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review

Standard

Drug dealers gone digital : using signalling theory to analyse criminal online personas and trust. / Bakken, Silje Anderdal.

In: Global Crime, Vol. 22, No. 1, 2021, p. 51-73.

Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review

Harvard

Bakken, SA 2021, 'Drug dealers gone digital: using signalling theory to analyse criminal online personas and trust', Global Crime, vol. 22, no. 1, pp. 51-73. https://doi.org/10.1080/17440572.2020.1806826

APA

Bakken, S. A. (2021). Drug dealers gone digital: using signalling theory to analyse criminal online personas and trust. Global Crime, 22(1), 51-73. https://doi.org/10.1080/17440572.2020.1806826

Vancouver

Bakken SA. Drug dealers gone digital: using signalling theory to analyse criminal online personas and trust. Global Crime. 2021;22(1):51-73. https://doi.org/10.1080/17440572.2020.1806826

Author

Bakken, Silje Anderdal. / Drug dealers gone digital : using signalling theory to analyse criminal online personas and trust. In: Global Crime. 2021 ; Vol. 22, No. 1. pp. 51-73.

Bibtex

@article{cd9fbba258534a17802f16059c9f2116,
title = "Drug dealers gone digital: using signalling theory to analyse criminal online personas and trust",
abstract = "Online and digital platforms play a central role in today's illegal activities and related networks. Communicating through these channels makes creating an online criminal identity crucial to establish oneself as trustworthy and meet the needs of potential buyers, especially when reaching out to strangers in a market. A highly needed skill is balancing the signals of attracting wanted attention and of avoiding possible risks. This article explores how social media drug dealers present themselves in 173 Facebook profiles. The analysis of these online criminal personas is applied in two stages: a) a broader content analysis of the profile content and b) by using signalling theory to understand the overall visual presentation of these online criminal personas. I find that sellers fall into three main persona types: the professional dealer, private dealer, and cultural dealer. These personas signal trust in different ways through their choice of pictures, text, and personal information.",
keywords = "Illegal drugs, illegal market, online, trust, signalling, online persona, IDENTITY, REPUTATION, VIOLENCE, MARKETS, PROFILE, WORLD",
author = "Bakken, {Silje Anderdal}",
year = "2021",
doi = "10.1080/17440572.2020.1806826",
language = "English",
volume = "22",
pages = "51--73",
journal = "Global Crime",
issn = "1744-0572",
publisher = "Routledge",
number = "1",

}

RIS

TY - JOUR

T1 - Drug dealers gone digital

T2 - using signalling theory to analyse criminal online personas and trust

AU - Bakken, Silje Anderdal

PY - 2021

Y1 - 2021

N2 - Online and digital platforms play a central role in today's illegal activities and related networks. Communicating through these channels makes creating an online criminal identity crucial to establish oneself as trustworthy and meet the needs of potential buyers, especially when reaching out to strangers in a market. A highly needed skill is balancing the signals of attracting wanted attention and of avoiding possible risks. This article explores how social media drug dealers present themselves in 173 Facebook profiles. The analysis of these online criminal personas is applied in two stages: a) a broader content analysis of the profile content and b) by using signalling theory to understand the overall visual presentation of these online criminal personas. I find that sellers fall into three main persona types: the professional dealer, private dealer, and cultural dealer. These personas signal trust in different ways through their choice of pictures, text, and personal information.

AB - Online and digital platforms play a central role in today's illegal activities and related networks. Communicating through these channels makes creating an online criminal identity crucial to establish oneself as trustworthy and meet the needs of potential buyers, especially when reaching out to strangers in a market. A highly needed skill is balancing the signals of attracting wanted attention and of avoiding possible risks. This article explores how social media drug dealers present themselves in 173 Facebook profiles. The analysis of these online criminal personas is applied in two stages: a) a broader content analysis of the profile content and b) by using signalling theory to understand the overall visual presentation of these online criminal personas. I find that sellers fall into three main persona types: the professional dealer, private dealer, and cultural dealer. These personas signal trust in different ways through their choice of pictures, text, and personal information.

KW - Illegal drugs

KW - illegal market

KW - online

KW - trust

KW - signalling

KW - online persona

KW - IDENTITY

KW - REPUTATION

KW - VIOLENCE

KW - MARKETS

KW - PROFILE

KW - WORLD

U2 - 10.1080/17440572.2020.1806826

DO - 10.1080/17440572.2020.1806826

M3 - Journal article

VL - 22

SP - 51

EP - 73

JO - Global Crime

JF - Global Crime

SN - 1744-0572

IS - 1

ER -

ID: 254986856