Psychology: Information Literacy Review

Exploring Social Media and Societal Influences on the Development of Serial Killers Your Name Subject and Section Professor’s Name Date Introduction Recently, the knowledge about serial killers has become more popular among academic, professional, and public audiences. This interest is not merely based on the gruesome manner of their criminal acts but also on what may lie hidden beneath the masks of psychological disorders, psychotic subjects, and the social systems that may encourage crime (Yarin, 2023). In recent years, the area of research expanded, focusing not only on the technical aspect of a social network as an environment for the creation of the subject of the research, namely a serial killer but on social media and societal factors as well, therefore investigating possibilities of how these platforms and environmental factors contribute to the formation of a series killer's behavior and purposes (Haggerty & Ellerbrok, 2011). Exploring the dynamics of social media becomes even more critical as society gets further entrenched in the age of technology. This integration of a digital existence raises the question of how such constant engagement with these platforms affects those predisposed to such extreme antisocial behaviors as serial killers (Yarin, 2023). Additionally, human interactions within a society, including family, peers, and even the broader environment that an individual grows in, help shape their behavior, which can turn out to be detrimental, as observed among serial killers (Marono et al., 2020). Well-researched and validated data are significant for conclusions, and good practices for ethically sharing results are also important. However, it is equally important to point to non-credible sources that form the basis of various misconceptions and distortions in public knowledge (Istituto Marangoni London, n.d.). Hence, it is vital to develop a solid foundation for the assessment and application of solid sources to explore further the impacts of social media and society on those who possess traits of serial killers. This also increases the study's credibility and serves to make conclusions produced in this research relevant to the advancement of knowledge in forensic psychological and criminal profiling. In line with this, this paper frames its research question: "In individuals with a higher risk of serial killing tendencies, how does exposure to social media and societal interactions influence their behavioral patterns?" Defining Key Concepts Serial killers Serial killers commit several murders, not less than two up to ten, with some time break between the murders. These people have certain psychological features inherent in them, which are pathological and combined with perversity, a predisposition to which they have within them. Most of their actions reflect the lack of an understanding of emotions, misleading nature, and interactions between different disorders (Morton, n.d.). Social Media Influence This is defined as the impact of constant and frequent social media use on people. In this regard, such engagement can help fuel antisocial inclinations, primarily because it offers a way to systematically validate the behaviors in question and even glamorize them (Grover et al., 2022). Societal Influences These refer to the sphere of social factors that influence an individual, including family, peer group, and culture. In the context of serial killers, these influences can mold development pathways and behaviors to carry out lethal actions or prevent such intentions depending on the kind of influence experienced (SAGE Edge, n.d.). Methodology In this descriptive research, the primary methods involve using Google Scholar to search for only scholarly articles in peer-reviewed journals. In contrast, Google and Yahoo will be used to search non-academic sources. This enables a broader collection of ideas and possible theories from academic sources. Subsequently, the collected data will be evaluated and sorted according to the type and source of information. The quality and validity of the journal articles will be assessed using references to the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP) checklists. This tool is intended to evaluate published papers' credibility, relevance, and applicability to draw generalizable and reproducible results. Consequently, for the non-academic sources, the evaluation will concentrate on the biases contained in the resource, the credibility of the authors of the resource, and how well their facts tally with information available from the existing research with the view of establishing the role played by the conveyed resources in the given topic and the general perception of the public. Literature Review Social Media’s Influence on Serial Killing Behavior In the study by Wang (2024), viewing violent images on social media has many effects, including the psychological state, behavioral disposition, and social relations. The study reveals that such content can elicit negative emotions that may be aversive change perceived cognitive appraisals, and raise conflict and anger in relationships. This research underlines the importance of early identification of the factors that could adversely affect individuals' well-being and the need to find effective ways to address these adverse effects when implementing the s...