Abstract Social media provide novel opportunities for street gangs to operate beyond their traditional borders to sell drugs, recruit members and control their territory, virtually and physically. Although social media have contributed to the means available to street gangs today, it does not mean that every gang agrees on their use. Drawing on different perspectives (ex-gang members, law enforcement) on gangs using a multi-method design in a London borough, the current study shows that social media have polarized gangs, resulting in two distinct types of digital adaptation. The proposed division of ‘digitalist’ and ‘traditionalist’ gangs is rooted in Thrasher’s (1927) dictum that no two gangs are alike and explains how some gangs prefer to keep a low profile, thus, avoiding social media use. ‘Digitalists’, by contrast, prefer to use social media as a way to gain reputation and territorial expansion. They use it to brand themselves and to appear attractive for recruits and customers alike. These differences can be theoretically explained firstly as a generational gap, meaning that younger gang members prefer the use of social media; and secondly, by how well established a gang already is, as newer gangs need more attention to establish themselves.

中文翻译：

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没有两个团伙是一样的：街头团伙对社交媒体的不同适应中的数字鸿沟

摘要 社交媒体为街头帮派提供了新的机会，可以超越他们的传统边界来销售毒品、招募成员和控制他们的领土，无论是虚拟的还是实体的。尽管社交媒体为当今街头帮派提供的手段做出了贡献，但这并不意味着每个帮派都同意使用它们。目前的研究借鉴了伦敦自治市镇使用多方法设计的帮派的不同观点（前帮派成员、执法部门），目前的研究表明，社交媒体已使帮派分化，导致两种不同类型的数字适应。“数字主义者”和“传统主义者”帮派的拟议划分植根于 Thrasher (1927) 的格言，即没有两个帮派是相同的，并解释了一些帮派如何喜欢保持低调，从而避免使用社交媒体。相比之下，“数字主义者” 更喜欢使用社交媒体作为获得声誉和领土扩张的一种方式。他们用它来给自己打上品牌，并让新员工和客户都觉得有吸引力。这些差异首先可以从理论上解释为代沟，这意味着年轻的帮派成员更喜欢使用社交媒体；其次，根据一个帮派已经建立的程度，因为新帮派需要更多的关注来建立自己。