CC200 Lecture Notes - Lecture 14: Folk Devil, Moral Panic, Social Constructionism
Cc200 lecture 14
Media and Youth Crime
Cohen looked at the amplification of youth deviance by the media that caused moral panic. He theorized
that we have “folk devils”, or people/behaviours that are targeted by people and the media.
Example: The Battle of Brighton – mods (suits, clean-cut, scooters) vs. rockers (leather jackets,
motorcycles,
boots).
Five features of moral panic:
1. Media takes an ordinary event (like a fight) and presents it as something extraordinary
2. Deviance is amplified when authorities demonise these perceived wrong-doers
3. Clarification of moral boundaries
4. Occurs during periods of rapid social change
5. Folk devil is targeted as the root of all the problems. Youth are more often targeted because
they have little social power.
Characteristics:
• - Exaggeration in reporting: figures are quotes out of context, facts are overblown
• - Repitition of fallacies, repeated incorrect information
• - Misleading pictures and snappy titles to draw in the reader
Stages:
• - Definition of threat, warning, in recognizable form
• - Rapid build of public concern
• - Response from authorities
• - Panic recedes because something else comes up or the panic results in social
change/acceptance
Social constructionism
Fills in the gaps of labelling theory to think about the social construction of deviance. Definition
of social problems: the activities of individuals or groups making assertions of grievance and
claims with respect to some putative conditions. A claim is any verbal, visual, or behavioural
statement to take a condition seriously. Claim-makers use different techniques to persuade an
audience (the public) that there is a problem.
4 important rhetorical devices used by claim-makers:
• - Rhetorical idioms: situates a condition in the moral universe using common sense notions.
Makes you think of a
Document Summary
Cohen looked at the amplification of youth deviance by the media that caused moral panic. He theorized that we have folk devils , or people/behaviours that are targeted by people and the media. Example: the battle of brighton mods (suits, clean-cut, scooters) vs. rockers (leather jackets, motorcycles, boots). Youth are more often targeted because they have little social power. Exaggeration in reporting: figures are quotes out of context, facts are overblown. Misleading pictures and snappy titles to draw in the reader. Definition of threat, warning, in recognizable form. Panic recedes because something else comes up or the panic results in social change/acceptance. Fills in the gaps of labelling theory to think about the social construction of deviance. Definition of social problems: the activities of individuals or groups making assertions of grievance and claims with respect to some putative conditions. A claim is any verbal, visual, or behavioural statement to take a condition seriously.
