Social media and gun violence: the rise of cyberbanging

Through Jennifer Porter Gore

A household name in Philadelphia’s vibrant hip-hop scene, rapper YBC Dul had a following many musicians would envy. He had over 30,000 monthly listeners on Spotify, and his YouTube and Instagram videos had racked up over a million views.

But some of those posts showed Dul’s adventures as an alleged leader of a criminal gang — videos he shot himself and posted to social media. In February, police say, he recorded his most brazen act: digging up the grave of a slain gang rival and then taunting the dead man’s crew by posting the video online.

A few days later, Young Bag Chaser Dul – real name Abdul Vicks, 25 years old – was gunned down in the middle of the day on a busy street in the city centre.

Vicks’ killing rattled a city already reeling from the constant drone of gun violence. But experts say his death is part of a troubling trend: young people starting or escalating conflicts on social media, then using guns to settle matters on the streets.

Experts say cases like Vicks’ are playing out in cities across the country, from New York to Chicago to Los Angeles, where rivalries and personality conflicts play a major role on the Internet.

“Cyberbanging”

Researcher Desmond Upton Patton, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania, explained it in detail in a commentary for The Trace.

“The frequency with which youth use platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to hurl insults, mock enemies, and brag about violent acts plays a significant role in fueling gang and clique retaliation in marginalized neighborhoods,” he wrote.

Patton was a pioneer in the study of the use of social media and artificial intelligence in the study of gun violence. He coined the term “Internet Banging” while researching how urban gangs use social media.

While the vast majority of social media users are honest, the trend of cyberbullying has a profound impact on Black youth, particularly boys and young men growing up in underserved communities where opportunity is scarce, guns are readily available, and respect is a precious commodity.

Lack of respect and trauma

“Many conflicts arise from a lack of respect experienced by insecure young adults who may lack impulse control and conflict management skills,” says Dr. LJ Punch, a trauma surgeon and director of the Bullet-Related Injury Clinic in St. Louis.

“Social media is an extremely powerful tool to metastasize disrespect,” Punch said. And of all the causes of gun violence, resentments fueled by social media are “the most pervasive,” Punch told NPR.

Dr. Franklin Cosey-Gay, project director of the Chicago Center for Youth Violence Prevention, agrees.

“(T)here’s an element where people who are traumatized and unable to process trauma express themselves in ways that show they’re traumatized — and they use that as a way to help them heal,” he says. “But it’s a vicious cycle.”

Glen Upshaw, outreach manager at Youth Alive in Oakland, says he sees kids as young as 12 getting caught up in this problem.

“Social media has become such a big part of people’s lives that they live it as if it’s reality,” said Upshaw, whose organization works as a violence interrupter. “They buy a lot of trouble — jail time, death, even someone in their family being abused.”

Freedom of expression, controversial content

There is no doubt that social media offers a space for free expression for young people: around 95% of children aged 13 to 17 report using a social media platform. More than a third say they use social media “almost constantly” and almost 40% of children aged 8 to 12 have bypassed the platforms’ age restrictions to open their own accounts.

But using social media to stir up ‘arguments’ causes small problems to spiral out of control.

Because powerful algorithms prioritize user engagement, platforms like Twitter or TikTok often amplify controversial content, making it more visible to larger, targeted audiences. While most platforms have policies against hate speech, enforcing these policies is challenging, and social media companies are under increasing pressure to change the way they engage with young people.

Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, this week launched “Teen Accounts” for users under 18. With built-in privacy protections, the accounts will be automatically enabled for all Instagram users who are underage, including those who already use the app. Users under 16 will need parental permission to change their account’s built-in protections.

Upshaw believes families can play a significant role in changing this cycle by paying attention. Speaking from experience, he says, “Sometimes even family members are hesitant to get involved for many reasons until someone gets hurt. Don’t become a victim to be a part of this work.”

Glen Upshaw has been with Youth Alive since 2016 and became involved in violence prevention after his sons — ages 17 and 19 — became violent. They eventually served prison sentences and have since been released. “I made an oath to myself and am determined to make a difference in people’s lives and in the community.”