ABSTRACT
Assess the ability of routine activities theory to be applied to crimes in the virtual world
Explore the commission of cybercrime through a rational choice framework with a focus on deterrence theory
Compare and contrast the contributions of social learning theory and the general theory of crime to various forms of cybercrime
Examine how subcultural frameworks have been used in the literature
Explore the underutilization of strain theory in explaining cybercrime
Debate the need for new or revised theoretical paradigms to explain crime committed in the virtual world
Around the turn of the last century, researchers began to discuss the ways that cybercrime differed from traditional crime (Grabosky, 2001; Wall, 1998). These initial debates were largely informed by both the novel nature of the Internet at that time and the increasingly ubiquitous presence of technology in daily life. David Wall (1998) argued that some forms of cybercrime have direct analogues to real world crimes like fraud. In these cases, cybercrimes may be considered “old wine in new bottles,” meaning that the offense is consistent but the medium in which offenders operate is new.