I discovered an interesting mobile app that relates to the
in-class activity we did on geographies of fear. The Fear of Crime Application was designed to
capture areas where fear of being victimized is experienced. The app is devised as a
survey that collects data by sending pings at different times and locations
throughout the day. The user is asked to rank his/her fear of being victimized
at the specific location they are at when the ping is received. Users are also
able to report fear of victimization without being prompted by a ping. For
example, if a user happens to be travelling through an area where he/she feels
unsafe, the user is able to record the incident through the mobile app.
Employing a survey based collection method on a mobile
device allows GPS and time stamp data to be collection simultaneously with the
fear of being victimized. This method makes it easy for researches to compare
fear of victimization across time and space. Because the app also asks participants
to respond to a few demographic questions upon download, researchers are able
to compare fear of victimization with age and gender as well.
Here is a link to the website:
http://www.ucl.ac.uk/jdibrief/analysis/Mapping-fear-of-crime-dynamically-on-everyday-transport
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ReplyDeleteFirst off, this is a great idea for a mobile app. If there was someway to connect it with say a police department in a certain area, I think that would be a good way to start fighting off some crime. For instance, if somebody feels unsafe in an area because there's a lot of people out doing questionable things and it "pinged" to the police, they could come and check it out. That has some problems though and would probably not work but it's what I immediately thought of. Another thing is, this is great app that could potentially influence change in a certain area. Somebody could get on the app and see that the route they usually take has a lot of problems or has a lot of people feeling unsafe. Therefore, somebody may change their route, going a new way and interacting with their surroundings differently.
ReplyDeleteIt is undeniable that there are many people have a fear of having an attack in many forms in the middle of somewhere. Catcalls, grabbing, and far more dangerous forms of sexual harassment have overwhelmed women/girls. When sexual assault occurs, victims/survivors often choose not to report the assault for a variety of reasons, including fear of being blamed or not believed, fear of retaliation, shame about the nature of the crime, or pressure from family or friends. Some survivor of sexual assault will find they can recover relatively quickly; others will feel the lasting effects of the victimization throughout their lifetime.
ReplyDeleteIt is really interesting how people have effort to invent such application in order to prevent, to report, to cope, or to respond to sexual harassment and sexual assault. I also know another phone application, what they call as “Not Your Baby” that is designed to give girls/women ideas on how they respond to situations of sexual harassment at home, work, school and on the street and public space. It includes facts and personal stories of harassment, as well as resources for those seeking help. Here is the link: https://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/not-your-baby/id545191859?mt=8
This app, along with that activity in class, makes me think about how we conceptualize victimization. In the context of Athens, I feel like victimization is largely defined in a sexualized way--specifically male-triggered at that (harassment, assault, etc.). Yet, the context of fear of victimization in Camden, NJ throws an interesting wrench in the discussion. I think it's worth noting that Camden is frequently listed as one of the most dangerous towns in America and often yields high rates of pep-victim crimes (theft, murder, etc.). Also, relative to Athens, it's population is higher and has much stronger "urban" persona in general, especially given its neighboring proximity to Philadelphia. In this sense, I wonder how certain victimization fears might contrastingly manifest in more "urban" vs. "rural" environments.
ReplyDeleteFurthermore, I wonder how this urban-specific fear may be implicit of certain racial undertones. As a note, Camden is only 6 % non-white. Thus, I wonder if certain "fears" are actually appropriated to certain races--or at least "non-white" races in general. Does this possibly serve to exacerbate the stereotype of the dangerous minority? Also, the methodology of this study (using an iPhone) may even be class/race-implicit. After all, one needs monetary resources to purchase goods like an iPhone. In essence, are more affluent (perhaps white) patrons using this device, hence constructing themselves as the posited victims in this socio-racial paradigm? If so, it would also bring in the inherent irony that minority citizens AREN'T as victimized. Again, this is mostly conjecture, and I do reiterate that the idea is probably well-intentioned in premise. Just some food for thought.