Social Media Monsters examines offences where digital platforms played a key role
Crimes in which social media played a key part are the focus of a 10-part Channel 4 series from Crackit TV.
Each episode of Social Media Monsters features a murder, stalking or fraud case, from the UK or US, where social media was central in the perpetration.
The series will feature interviews with victims, their loved ones and those with in-depth knowledge of the cases, including police officers, digital forensics specialists and criminal psychologists.
The first episode focuses on the 2023 murder of 15-year-old Holly Newton in Northumberland. Her ex-boyfriend Logan MacPhail received a life sentence for her murder last year. During the trial, it was revealed MacPhail had hacked Holly’s social media accounts and bombarded her with messages before tracking her movements and later stabbing her.
Other cases investigated include the various stalking campaigns inflicted by Manchester-based social media consultant Sam Wall, including a four-year period of harassment of a man she’d met for just 30 seconds, and the murder of Mississippi native Carson Sistrunk by a woman he’d first met on Snapchat.
Social Media Monsters was ordered for C4 by Simon Lee, commissioning executive, and the exec producer is Kerry Brierley.
Elaine Hackett, Crackit’s chief exec, said: “As social media has evolved over the years, the dangers of this medium and its use by criminals has grown to become one of the biggest concerns of the modern age.
“As countries around the world continue to grapple with how to protect citizens online, this documentary series shines a chilling spotlight on the depths that some perpetrators will go to use social media for nefarious means.”
Social Media Monsters TXs on Channel 4 on Monday 6 October
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