“F*#k with Us and Your Life Will End”: The Dilemmas of Discerning Local Gang Culture on the Virtual Corner

Street gangs are subcultural systems connected to violence, yet cultural mechanisms leading to violence are difficult to observe and analyze independent of behaviors they produce. Theoretical developments in cultural studies have redefined these mechanisms, providing new opportunities to empirically examine cultural artifacts and identify meaningful patterns in local culture. Gang members’ engagement of social media platforms also provides opportunities to examine cultural products from a distance. Researchers examining these public expressions of gang life face interpretive challenges, which undermines their ability to discern the extent to which representations on social media align with lived culture. This chapter explores some interpretive challenges that accompany analyzing gang culture from 78 rap videos posted on YouTube by individuals in Buffalo, NY, who claim to be gang members. It explores the extent to which a detached researcher can identify meaning in cultural products that combine to form a coherent statement about the use of violence on the streets of Buffalo.