WCPO: Expert discusses social media's role in Buffalo mass shooting
Social media expert Jeffrey Blevins weighs in on impact of social media in mass shooting
Jeffrey Blevins, PhD, head of UC's Department of Journalism. Photo/UC Creative + Brand/Kelley
The shooter in the Buffalo tragedy had access to hate group theories and many ways to kill at his fingertips...via the internet.
“Social media seems to play a role in just about everything,” UC’s social media expert Jeffrey Blevins told WCPO, explaining that the dark side of social media has been there since the beginning.
“Webpages afforded a lot of anonymity to hate groups,” said Blevins, who heads the Department of Journalism. “They’ve allowed them to sadly merchandise and recruit others and raise money. It's very difficult for the government to interdict because we’re talking about cyberspace and not geographical space.”
Featured image at top courtesy of Unsplash.
Impact Lives Here
The University of Cincinnati is leading public urban universities into a new era of innovation and impact. Our faculty, staff and students are saving lives, changing outcomes and bending the future in our city's direction. Next Lives Here.
Related Stories
6 ways starting a GLP-1 medication could affect your emotions
May 20, 2026
When patients first start taking a glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) medication, they probably expect to feel full. But they might not anticipate how it can influence their emotions. The medications act on the stomach and the brain, said Malti Vij, MD, a University of Cincinnati adjunct associate professor in the College of Medicine's Department of Internal Medicine and a diplomate of the American Board of Obesity Medicine.
Donald P. Klekamp College of Law at the University of Cincinnati naming celebration
May 19, 2026
Joy reverberated in the atrium at the Donald P. Klekamp College of Law at the University of Cincinnati on Friday, May 15, 2026. Laughter, smiles, heartfelt speeches and an appearance by the Bearcat made for a special afternoon for the family, friends, University of Cincinnati alumni, students, faculty and leadership who gathered to celebrate the renaming of the college.
$15 million bequest supports endowed chair at UC College of Medicine
May 19, 2026
As a student and resident at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, George G. Bemis, Jr., MD, Med ’64, saw firsthand that medicine was more than a profession for those teaching and leading him. Inspired by their sense of calling, he knew he wanted to pursue the same path.