Amidst the sensationalist claims about the dangers of the Internet,
Virtually Criminal provides an empirically grounded criminological
analysis of deviance and regulation within an online community. It
integrates theory and empiricism to forge an explanation of cybercrime
whilst offering new insights into online regulation.
One of the first studies to further our understanding of the causes of
cyber deviance, crime and its control, this groundbreaking study from
Matthew Williams takes the Internet as a site of social and cultural
(re)production, and acknowledges the importance of online
social/cultural formations in the genesis and regulation of cyber
deviance and crime.
A blend of criminological, sociological and linguistic theory, this book
provides a unique understanding of the aetiology of cybercrime and
deviance. Focus group and offence data are analyzed and an
interrelationship between online community, deviance and regulation is
established.
The subject matter of the book is inherently transnational. It makes
extensive use of a number of international case studies, ensuring it is
relevant to readers in multiple countries (especially the US, the UK and
Australasia). Pioneering and innovative, this fascinating book will be
of interest to students and researchers across the disciplines of
sociology, criminology, law and media and communication studies.
