R.J. Maratea is Visiting Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice at Seton Hall University. His research focuses on the sociological implications of mass communication, with an emphasis on Internet technology, deviance, social control, and the construction of social reality.Brian Monahan is Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology, Criminal Justice Program at Baldwin Wallace University. He is the author of The Shock of the News (NYU 2010) and several articles exploring how media represent crime and other social problems.

"A fresh perspective on the construction of social problems, not found in traditional textbooks. Students from any major will find new and applicable ways of thinking about social problems in our culture and media." Amie Levesque, University of Denver, USA

• Introduction;Understanding Social Problems and Popular Culture;Blaming Popular Culture for the Existence of Social Problems;Spreading Problem Claims Through Popular Culture;Popular Culture and Pushback;Marketing Social Problems Through Popular Culture;Conclusion.

R.J. Maratea is Visiting Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice at Seton Hall University. His research focuses on the sociological implications of mass communication, with an emphasis on Internet technology, deviance, social control, and the construction of social reality.Brian Monahan is Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology, Criminal Justice Program at Baldwin Wallace University. He is the author of The Shock of the News (NYU 2010) and several articles exploring how media represent crime and other social problems.

"A fresh perspective on the construction of social problems, not found in traditional textbooks. Students from any major will find new and applicable ways of thinking about social problems in our culture and media." Amie Levesque, University of Denver, USA

• Introduction;Understanding Social Problems and Popular Culture;Blaming Popular Culture for the Existence of Social Problems;Spreading Problem Claims Through Popular Culture;Popular Culture and Pushback;Marketing Social Problems Through Popular Culture;Conclusion.

R.J. Maratea is Visiting Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice at Seton Hall University. His research focuses on the sociological implications of mass communication, with an emphasis on Internet technology, deviance, social control, and the construction of social reality.Brian Monahan is Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology, Criminal Justice Program at Baldwin Wallace University. He is the author of The Shock of the News (NYU 2010) and several articles exploring how media represent crime and other social problems.

"A fresh perspective on the construction of social problems, not found in traditional textbooks. Students from any major will find new and applicable ways of thinking about social problems in our culture and media." Amie Levesque, University of Denver, USA

• Introduction;Understanding Social Problems and Popular Culture;Blaming Popular Culture for the Existence of Social Problems;Spreading Problem Claims Through Popular Culture;Popular Culture and Pushback;Marketing Social Problems Through Popular Culture;Conclusion.