Gangster Phenomenon Rising While Uploaded on Social Media, UM Surabaya Lecturer Gives Response

• 14 Mar
• 2023

Ilustrasi gambar gangster (Foto: Suara Surabaya)

Gangster Phenomenon Rising While Uploaded on Social Media, UM Surabaya Lecturer Gives Response

• Article
• By Uswah Sahal
• Education
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UM Surabaya media expert Radius Setiyawan responded to the trend of gangsters or groups of young people carrying sharp weapons and showing off on social media. Radius said that the behavior of teenage gangsters has shifted more into activities expressing subcultural and anti-social attitudes that deviate and lead to crime.

“Gangsters are not a new phenomenon in the city. Ease of access to information, the economy and other things make this phenomenon a frequent presence. This is urban crime,” explained Radius Tuesday (14/3/23)

Radius said that the actions which were mostly dominated by teenagers should be interpreted as delinquency caused by various factors. Teenagers who like new things, are ambitious and like challenges must be channeled into adequate and appropriate public spaces. This attitude is a necessity that most teenagers need to show their social identity. The problem is how their expression does not have the potential to become anarchic and lead to crime.

"The recent gangster phenomenon indicates the lack of access to public spaces for teenagers to channel their creativity in their productive age," said Radius.

In several findings, those who are involved in gangster activities that lead to crime do not have many choices to be able to use space freely.

Radius gave an example, some of the problems in public spaces that are often encountered include: sports rooms, study rooms, networking spaces to community spaces for teenagers which are difficult for the lower class to access.

“In many cases, these spaces experience privatization. Managed by the private sector and charged a fee that is not cheap. This is evidenced by the mushrooming of sports venues and paid co-working spaces," he explained.

He said, the privatization of public space clearly raises complex social problems. The emergence of juvenile gangsters is one result of this situation, namely the narrowing of public space for lower-class youth.

Not only that, Radius explained, the actions of gangsters with various deviant behaviors are a picture of a subculture. That is, the more the public reacts strongly to isolate and criticize their behavior and even tend to consider them trash, this group will be more solid, militant, more withdrawn, and not infrequently even develop deviant and usually more extreme treatment than before.

“Usually the more isolated and criticized they become, the more united and militant they become. They are increasingly withdrawing and this is actually dangerous for our future generations," he explained.

Radius, who is a UM Surabaya Visual Communication Design (DKV) said that the phenomenon of gangsters showing off violence on social media is related to public recognition. According to him, guns are a symbol of strength, while social media facilitates this.

At the end of his statement, he emphasized that the government and all parties need to respond wisely and in a measured manner. Cutting off the emergence of new gangsters is one of the right actions.

“Of course by providing productive, open and free public spaces. A space that can be accessed by all parties without distinction of class, status, religion or other identities," said Radius.