ABSTRACT
Chapter 2 explores the role of the media in the Mexican drug war, the transition between the usage of traditional media and the adoption of web-based platforms as main sources of information, changing the dynamics and mechanisms of control over it. This section also presents an overview of how the media has been instrumental for the government, the drug cartels, and the citizenry, all of them pursuing different purposes and agendas. The chapter discusses the adoption of social media by criminal organizations, starting with terrorists groups such as ISIS and moving towards drug cartels in Mexico. It also presents a brief account of the methodological and theoretical grounds of social network analysis, highlighting its relevance as a powerful tool to advance research into criminal behavior on social media. Finally, the chapter analyzes the social media paradox, and the theoretical contributions put forward in the literature about the benefits, challenges, power, or vulnerability the adoption of social media might bring to criminal organizations.
