University News Last updated 11 August 2015
“Since the emergence of social media, sites such as Facebook and Twitter have very quickly been abused by people who use them to brag and boast about crimes they have committed,” argues Professor Craig Jackson, Head of Psychology at Birmingham City University.
Professor Jackson’s comments follow the sentencing of a 14-year-old boy from Bradford who was given a 11-year sentence after stabbing supply teacher Vincent Uzomah, before bragging about the attack on Facebook.
“This use of social media is nothing new. We saw it only a few years ago with the London riots, with many of those involved taking pictures of themselves posing with stolen goods and bragging about it on social media.
“What is shocking about this particular case is that it involves a child, and an individual going about their daily job who almost died. And what is most worrying is the notion that 69 people felt that his post was interesting enough for them to like it. One can only hope that these people didn’t realise what they were liking, and that they were not genuinely approving of his near murderous actions.”