Case Analysis: 2014 Isla Vista Killings Part 2

So-called REALITY Shows and seemingly real-life Videos from Social Influencers are “Staged” to get more views rather than present a more sobering truth.  Social media companies are likely to hide this fact from viewers in order to get more views and increase their AD revenue.  There may be no Viewer Discretion warnings from the parent company. The company presented a paucity of research on falsehood on social media.  There appear to be no Government agencies studying the true impact of presenting falsehood on major Social Media sites.  Occasionally, an influencer may expose the truth but this is often a case-by-case presentation.  Because falsehoods are often more entertaining than reality, these false media content overpopulates social media sites and is eventually believed as truth by non-suspecting viewers.  Such seemingly innocuous brainwashing can lead anyone to make poor decisions such as buying expensive items, quitting their jobs, and distancing themselves from friends.  Even worse, such content could promote false hatred that could result in random attacks without true cause. 

AI as Surrogate POLICE: In the future, artificial intelligence programs may quickly identify High-Risk social media content based on prior cases where a crime was committed after the culprit watched suggestive content.  Furthermore, a criminal may have posted Online content that may reveal their psychological state prior to their unlawful act.  The instigators’ previous history of content that they viewed may also present information about which type of content promotes criminal behavior.  It may require government agencies such as the FBI to use AI programs to actively screen social media content in the future and perhaps anonymously search for potential criminals until the risk surpasses a particular threshold.  

Bottom Line: Government policymakers, Educators, Parents, Friends, and even bystander-witnesses must be the watchdog for potential high-risk content found on social media.  Teens and young adults must be protected from negative influence on social media, which could lead to crime. Without checks and balances, anyone could be a potential victim. 

SOURCES: 

White, Stephen G. "Case study: The Isla Vista campus community mass murder." Journal of Threat Assessment and Management 4.1 (2017): 20.

Woolf, Nicky. “Chilling Report Details How Elliot Rodger Executed Murderous Rampage.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 20 Feb. 2015, www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/feb/20/mass-shooter-elliot-rodger-isla-vista-killings-report. 

"Elliot Rodger: How Misogynist Killer Became 'Incel Hero.'" BBC News, BBC, 25 Apr. 2018,

www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-43892189.