Cyberporn and moral panic: an evaluation of press reactions to pornography on the internet.

Littlewood, Anne Cyberporn and moral panic: an evaluation of press reactions to pornography on the internet. Library and Information Research, 2003, vol. 27, n. 86, pp. 8-18. [Journal article (Paginated)]

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English abstract

A summary of the MA Dissertation which won the 2002 Library and Information Research Group Student Prize. The aim of the Dissertation was to find out if there had been a moral panic in the British press over Internet content. The paper briefly looks at the background to the Study. The term “moral panic” is defined in terms of Stanley Cohen’s (1972) model and put into context. The Literature Review looks at whether there has been a moral panic over Internet content in the USA, and at the situation in Britain. The legal and regulatory context is explored. The methodology of the Study is then discussed, considering which media were chosen and why, the timescale of the Study and how the data was collected and analysed. The limitations of the methodology are reviewed. The results are then presented, with an explanation of how they coincide with Cohen’s model. The Study concludes that there has been a moral panic over Internet content, which began in the latter half of 1995. Options for future study into this area are then offered.

Item type: Journal article (Paginated)
Keywords: cyberporn, pornography on the internet, media
Subjects: B. Information use and sociology of information > BC. Information in society.
E. Publishing and legal issues. > EA. Mass media.
Depositing user: Kristina Brown
Date deposited: 15 Mar 2005
Last modified: 02 Oct 2014 12:00
URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10760/6070

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