How social media is fuelling violence in overlooked US communities

Thomas Abt, a researcher, says online taunts and barbs from songs can intensify shootings in underserved areas

Whenever the US tries to make sense of a high-profile mass shooting, it inevitably turns to one source: the social media accounts of the suspect. Law enforcement, reporters and the public scrutinize these digital footprints, hoping to find clues about a possible motive.

Less explored, however, is the role social media platforms like Instagram and YouTube play in shootings that happen in underserved Black and Latino communities and are scarcely covered outside of local crime news. These shootings, Thomas Abt, the lead author of a new Violence Reduction Center white paper on the topic told the Guardian, are increasingly being fueled by online disputes and barbs being traded back and forth in songs and music videos and shared online.