How does technology affect crime in the community? Social Essay (Essay Sample)

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How does technology affect crime in the community?
Introduction
When the term “technology” is mentioned, what comes to the mind is the way working, living and transport have been made better than in the past. Many benefits can be drawn from various technologies, but the negative things it brings along cannot be overlooked. This is especially so in the era where most processes have been digitized. Technology cannot and should not be considered to be either good or evil. Its creators and users have the power to determine where it lies depending on the intended application. In other words, when it lands on the wrong hands it can prove to be detrimental in a community. This piece seeks to explore the negative side of technology and particularly how it adversely affect communities and will do so by inquiring into some of the forms of crimes in which technology is finding extensive applications.
Role of Technology in Various Crimes
Child Sexual Exploitation
Technology has extended activities which fall under the category of crime, beyond what was only physical. In their study, Wurtele and Kenny argue that perpetrators of internet crimes use technology to win the trust of unsuspecting teens especially in chat room conversations (335). Although there is legislation protecting children from harms including sexual exploitations, perpetrators keep devising new and complicated methods of communicating with minors. Existing laws which seek to shield teenagers from communicating with pedophile extend to internet use. However, the complex nature of technology lowers chances of nailing a suspect of sex offenders. For instance, there is an invention which hides the address and location of the machine which is used in performing tasks. Perpetrators feel secure and extend their offense to innocent youths. They only begin by creating a hoax which will attract many users and after they subscribe to it, they receive instructions about where and when to collect gifts. It is not only disappointing but also shocking for a victim to realize that all along, the individual on the other side of the screen was only playing with his/her psychology. At that moment, it is normally too late to make things right (Wurtele 340). This demonstrates how technology plays a huge role in making the physical crimes in a community much effective and without proper interception by the security agencies, the same evil process is repeated, with a different line of creativity. At one point the reward may be a tangible item or a job offer and before the desperate individuals realize, they are already part of the sexual offense.