Social media is notorious for allowing people to be creative and share interesting ideas with their followers or fans. Social media has its pros and cons for students, workers, and businesses, not just for keeping track of a person’s post, comments or likes. One of the pros of social media is that it has contributed to efficiently solving crimes in real time. 61.4% of the human population use social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter. This is beneficial for law enforcement in finding patterns and connections useful in investigations.
Detectives and investigators are increasingly turning to social media to gather crucial information and engage with their community. They encourage people to report crimes or share relevant information among themselves.
Saul Esquivel, a sworn police officer, teaching Foundations of law and criminal justice at SAUSD since 2021, shares how Santa Ana police take part in social media .
“Santa Ana police is very engaged with the community, we are very active on social media posting bulletins to help aid in finding criminals,” Esquivel said.
Many individuals are accepting of this tactic, but the question still arises among us whether there should be rules in making sure social media is used responsibly by officials when solving crimes or should officials be restricted from this method to gather information.
Sophomore Emi Noyola shares their opinion on why there should be rules taken from officials.
“I agree that there should be rules set in place, like on privacy and data protection to make sure no one outside the case has access to private info,” Noyola said.
Social media’s role extends beyond providing leads; it serves as a real-time surveillance tool.
The Crime museum explains, on their website about a case, “thecraigslist-killer”, how Philip Markoff used craigslist as a tool that allowed him to commit crimes while living a double life. Police found footage of him exiting the hotel where he killed his victim which aided in identifying and arresting him.
Online communities dedicated to crime-solving have emerged. People who have an interest in crime solving and true crime enthusiasts collaborate on platforms like Reddit to analyze evidence, discuss theories, and even provide leads to investigators. These digital communities have played a crucial role when solving cold cases.
In the world of online crime-solving groups, the combined efforts of passionate individuals not only bring them closer, but also have big impacts on solving mysteries that seemed unsolvable, because of given circumstances.
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation explains on their website,“reddit-websleuths”, how a reddit user solved a hit and run case by posting an image of a piece of broken taillight which led to identifying the person behind the hit and run.
Sophomore Rodrigo Espinoza shares a story where he came across the exact post that led to the discovery of the broken taillight.
“I was in my living room watching social media clips of investigations when I came across an instagram reel talking about the hit and run case. I searched up the case and found a forum of reddit users helping and aiding in the case. It’s amazing how people have changed social media into solving crime and giving hope to those in need,” said Espinoza.
