Araştırma Makalesi

Social Media and Fear of Crime: Development of a New Scale to Measure Perceptions

Sayı: 64 31 Aralık 2025
PDF İndir
TR EN

Social Media and Fear of Crime: Development of a New Scale to Measure Perceptions

Öz

This study aims to develop a scale to understand the effects of content on social media platforms on individuals' fear of crime. Several scales have already been developed to measure fear of crime. These scales assess individuals' fears of becoming victims of crime in their daily lives, focusing on concerns related to victimization in their homes, workplaces, and social environments. This study seeks to measure individuals' fear of crime specifically arising from content on social media platforms. In this context, the scale was inspired by Ferraro’s (1995) scale and adapted to evaluate social media platforms. Initially, the scale consisted of 10 items, but after various analyses, one item was removed, reducing the scale to 9 items. Following Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA), a unidimensional structure was adopted based on SPSS recommendations. An online survey was conducted with 423 participants over two months. As the dataset exhibited normal distribution, t-tests and ANOVA analyses were performed to test the null hypotheses. The results of the study largely align with findings in literature. For instance, women and older individuals reported higher levels of fear of crime compared to men and younger individuals. In conclusion, the scale, named the Social Media and Fear of Crime Scale, was found to be applicable. Thus, the study is expected to contribute to addressing a significant gap in the literature by directly measuring the impact of social media platforms and content on fear of crime.

Anahtar Kelimeler

Kaynakça

  1. Anadolu Agency. (2024, January 31). 62% of the world’s population uses social media. Anadolu Agency. https://www.aa.com.tr/en/science-technology/62-of-the-worlds-population-uses-social-media/3261985
  2. Box, S., Hale, C., & Andrews, G. (1988). Explaining fear of crime. British Journal of Criminology, 28(3), 340–356. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordjournals.bjc.a047733
  3. Bryman, A. (2016). Social research methods (5th ed.). Oxford University Press.
  4. Callanan, V. J. (2012). Media consumption, perceptions of crime risk, and fear of crime: Examining race/ethnic differences. Sociological Perspectives, 55(1), 93–115. https://doi.org/10.1525/sop.2012.55.1.93 Can, A. (2020). SPSS ile bilimsel araştırma sürecinde nicel veri analizi. Pegem Akademi.
  5. Chiricos, T., Hogan, M., & Gertz, M. (1997). Racial composition of neighborhood and fear of crime.
  6. Criminology, 35(1), 107–131. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1745-9125.1997.tb00872.x
  7. Clemente, F., & Kleiman, B. M. (1977). Fear of crime in the United States: A multivariate analysis. Social Forces, 56(2), 519–531. https://doi.org/10.2307/2577738
  8. Cohen, J. (1988). Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences (2nd ed.). Routledge.

Ayrıntılar

Birincil Dil

İngilizce

Konular

Adli Sosyal Bilimler, Sosyoloji (Diğer)

Bölüm

Araştırma Makalesi

Yayımlanma Tarihi

31 Aralık 2025

Gönderilme Tarihi

27 Ocak 2025

Kabul Tarihi

7 Eylül 2025

Yayımlandığı Sayı

Yıl 2025 Sayı: 64

Kaynak Göster

APA
Demirbaş, M. (2025). Social Media and Fear of Crime: Development of a New Scale to Measure Perceptions. Süleyman Demirel Üniversitesi İnsan ve Toplum Bilimleri Dergisi, 64, 217-242. https://doi.org/10.35237/suitder.1627534
AMA
1.Demirbaş M. Social Media and Fear of Crime: Development of a New Scale to Measure Perceptions. Süleyman Demirel Üniversitesi İnsan ve Toplum Bilimleri Dergisi. 2025;(64):217-242. doi:10.35237/suitder.1627534
Chicago
Demirbaş, Mehmet. 2025. “Social Media and Fear of Crime: Development of a New Scale to Measure Perceptions”. Süleyman Demirel Üniversitesi İnsan ve Toplum Bilimleri Dergisi, sy 64: 217-42. https://doi.org/10.35237/suitder.1627534.
EndNote
Demirbaş M (01 Aralık 2025) Social Media and Fear of Crime: Development of a New Scale to Measure Perceptions. Süleyman Demirel Üniversitesi İnsan ve Toplum Bilimleri Dergisi 64 217–242.
IEEE
[1]M. Demirbaş, “Social Media and Fear of Crime: Development of a New Scale to Measure Perceptions”, Süleyman Demirel Üniversitesi İnsan ve Toplum Bilimleri Dergisi, sy 64, ss. 217–242, Ara. 2025, doi: 10.35237/suitder.1627534.
ISNAD
Demirbaş, Mehmet. “Social Media and Fear of Crime: Development of a New Scale to Measure Perceptions”. Süleyman Demirel Üniversitesi İnsan ve Toplum Bilimleri Dergisi. 64 (01 Aralık 2025): 217-242. https://doi.org/10.35237/suitder.1627534.
JAMA
1.Demirbaş M. Social Media and Fear of Crime: Development of a New Scale to Measure Perceptions. Süleyman Demirel Üniversitesi İnsan ve Toplum Bilimleri Dergisi. 2025;:217–242.
MLA
Demirbaş, Mehmet. “Social Media and Fear of Crime: Development of a New Scale to Measure Perceptions”. Süleyman Demirel Üniversitesi İnsan ve Toplum Bilimleri Dergisi, sy 64, Aralık 2025, ss. 217-42, doi:10.35237/suitder.1627534.
Vancouver
1.Mehmet Demirbaş. Social Media and Fear of Crime: Development of a New Scale to Measure Perceptions. Süleyman Demirel Üniversitesi İnsan ve Toplum Bilimleri Dergisi. 01 Aralık 2025;(64):217-42. doi:10.35237/suitder.1627534