Media Exposure and The Role it Plays in Capital Punishment

Julianna Wright

Co-Presenters: Individual Presentation

College: College of Liberal Arts

Major: MA.FORENSIC-PSY

Faculty Research Mentor: Doyle, Christine  

Abstract:

AbstractPublic opinion regarding capital punishment has become a topic of concern in criminal justice and psychology fields, as the emergence of social media has become increasingly popular for individuals to share their thoughts, feelings, and updates with others quickly. Traditional news sources such as news channels, magazines, and print newspapers have seen a decline in users within the last 2 decades, as the usage of social media apps such as Tiktok, Youtube, X, Facebook, and Instagram have exponentially grown in users. The purpose of this study is to understand the impact that public opinion has on high profile capital punishment cases in regards to social media versus traditional media sources. Participants in the study were separated into 2 groups- 1 group received an Instagram post detailing a high profile capital punishment case along with a picture of the perpetrator and completed pre and post likert scale questions detailing their support for capital punishment along with other demographic questions. The other group received the same information about the perpetrator, likert scale questions, and demographic questions in the form of a traditional media news broadcast. A sample of Kean University students and other participants were recruited using various social media sources to obtain a goal of 60 participants using an online survey through Qualtrics.Key words: public opinion, death penalty, capital punishment, social media, traditional media