From Screen To Crime Scene: How Social Media Is Becoming Trigger, Tool & Stage | Delhi News

NEW DELHI: Last week, an 18-year-old boy was stabbed to death, allegedly by eight to 10 people, during an altercation between two groups in outer Delhi’s Paschim Vihar. What began as a tiff sparked by a comment on social media ended in the fatal street assault, underscoring a concerning pattern in modern-day crime.From online confessions of murderers and gangsters flaunting illegal firearms to influencers losing their lives over the number of followers and violent assaults sparked by virtual disputes, social media is no longer merely a platform. It is increasingly shaping motives, escalating conflicts and, in some cases, becoming part of the crime itself by providing the criminals with a medium on which people are tracked and targeted, say experts.

The new crime pattern

While traditional motives, such as revenge, rivalry and personal disputes mostly continue to drive crimes in our society, the addictive pursuit of online visibility, validation and widespread influence is emerging as an additional factor, particularly among younger offenders.Earlier this year, an 18-year-old allegedly recorded and uploaded a video confessing to a murder in Shalimar Bagh shortly after the crime. In Jan, hours after a 24-year-old was shot dead outside a café in Maujpur, a video surfaced online in which one of the alleged shooters claimed responsibility and described the killing as revenge.In Feb, abusive comments on a wedding post allegedly escalated into a fatal stabbing in Sadar Bazar. In another incident, five juveniles were apprehended for stabbing a man near Shastri Nagar Metro Station after he uploaded a photograph of one of their sisters. Last year, a 16-year-old influencer with around 10,000 followers was murdered after he allegedly refused to help another teenager increase his social media following.According to counselling psychologist Sonali Mangal, the need for digital validation is increasingly shaping behaviour, particularly of adolescents and young adults. “Questions like ‘Will this reel go viral?’ or ‘Will this increase the number of my followers?’ or ‘Will this make me popular?’ have become part of the decision-making process for many of them. Social media offers instant gratification through likes, comments and shares, activating the brain’s reward system,” she says.Adolescents are especially vulnerable because their prefrontal cortex, the part of the brain responsible for controlling impulse and long-term decision-making, continues developing until the mid-20s, Mangal says, adding, “Validation can become addictive. Much like other behavioural addictions, individuals may feel compelled to perform extreme acts to continue receiving a high level of attention in the form of online engagement.”Mitashi Pawar, a mental health expert who specialises in child psychology, says repeated exposure to violent and abusive content also plays a role in shaping our behaviour. “Many children consume content in which abusive language, dangerous pranks and even violence are presented as entertainment. Over time, aggression stops feeling unusual,” Pawar says.Experts feel this helps explain the rise of performative crime, where people record themselves brandishing weapons, issuing threats or even confessing to offences because the intended audience extends far beyond those directly involved. The objective is not merely intimidation but also the creation of a larger-than-life online persona.Delhi Police have taken cognisance and are cracking down. Last Dec, 12 people, including alleged arms suppliers, were arrested after investigators tracked social media posts showing some men flaunting firearms from locations in north and central Delhi.Mental health experts, though, caution us against blaming social media alone. Rather, they describe it as an amplifier that accelerates existing conflicts, rewards sensational behaviour and offers offenders a ready and wide audience.