The Oslo man has used drugs for several years. But a little while ago he started buying via Snapchat. We call him “Kristian”, but his name is actually something else. – I simply just got a Snapchat name via text from someone I know. I added him and that was it, says “Kristian” about how he got his first Snapchat dealer. In the past, he has obtained the telephone numbers of hashish sellers through friends or questionable contacts. But even with a number he could call, they didn’t always answer, or show up to do the “deal” – It was incredibly complicated. Now, for one thing, it seems a bit more organised, a bit more professional and it has become so much easier, he says. Proposals for new dealers But buying hashish through Snapchat should be easier than “Kristian” imagined. Because after adding one seller as a friend, Snapchat suggested that he should friend several others. These were people who were found to be selling both cocaine and ketamine. “Kristian” believes this has to do with the way Snapchat works and the algorithms used. – It may well be because they are friends with each other. That it becomes the case that friends of friends are suggested. But it still works and they show up, he says. Norway stands out Silje Anderdal Bakken thought more of the drug sales took place on the dark web when they started researching sales via the internet. But sales take place in the same channels people communicate about everything else. Photo: Privat Silje Anderdal Bakken is a senior lecturer in criminology and legal sociology at the University of Oslo. She has researched the buying and selling of drugs in social media. Through her PhD at the University of Copenhagen, she has researched the buying and selling of drugs in social media. During the research, she created fake profiles on Facebook to explore where and how drugs are sold. – Our profile received various friend suggestions who were often sellers of drugs. Because you somehow got into a kind of algorithm where similar profiles of people you had been interested in were suggested, says Anderdal Bakken. She still believes that you have to show an interest in buying and selling drugs in order for other sellers to be suggested as friends. In other words, a young person who gets a Snapchat account will not be offered drugs without first showing an interest in it. – You have to know a salesperson, for example. Or know someone who is interested in it and then you can get into it and get suggestions, says Anderdal Bakken. Norway stands out from its Nordic neighbors in the use of Snapchat in drug sales. In Sweden, Denmark and Iceland, drugs are mainly sold through groups on Facebook, while in Norway Snapchat is much more popular. – Unfortunate algorithms The police are well aware that a lot of drugs are sold on Snapchat. At the Nettpatruljen at the East police district, they receive many tips about accounts that deal drugs. Academic leader, Jostein Davmyr, says it is unfortunate that the algorithms of social media work in such a way that dealers are suggested as friends if you are interested in drugs. – Now it is probably not Snapchat’s intention that these algorithms suggest more drug channels. But that’s how they work. They try to pair content with what it thinks the user will like. Then it is very stupid that it also affects drugs, says Davmyr. Police warn Snapchat about accounts selling drugs. – They are quite amenable to shutting down those channels, says Davmyr. Working to solve the problem At Snapchat, they are aware of the platform being used for drug sales. The company informs news that they are working to get rid of the problem in several ways. – The technology for detecting drug-related content is constantly improving. It helps us delete accounts that sell drugs and prevent them from creating new ones, writes a spokesperson for the company in an email. Snapchat states that it has detected 25 percent more drug-related content since the start of the year. 90 percent of all this content is discovered, and deleted, before anyone has time to report it. They also claim that it has become more difficult to search for drug sales. – We also get help from experts to keep up to date with new trends, symbols and emojis that are used to represent and share information about drugs. A report from the Norwegian Institute of Public Health shows that young people believe that drugs are easily accessible via apps such as Snapchat. I think more young people will buy “Kristian” thinks it has become much less scary to buy cannabis after he started using Snapchat. Now he doesn’t have to deal with so many questionable people to the same extent. – Social media’s main function is to make things easier. Things become more sterile and sterile when it ends up on social media. When you get it on your Snapchat story, it becomes very light-hearted, he says. Because of the suggestions on Snapchat, “Kristian” has several dealers he can contact when he needs cannabis. Do you need someone to talk to? There are several helplines, chat services and support groups where you can share your thoughts and feelings completely anonymously, and get support, advice and guidance. Mental Health Helpline: Call 116 123 or write to sidetmedord.no. Press 2 for parental care and press 3 for the student telephone on the same number. Mental Health Youth: Chatteteste at www.mhu.no on Monday to Thursday 18–21. Tenesta is aimed at young adults (18-35 years). Healthy Sports: Chatteteneste at sunnidrett.no or contact by e-mail: [email protected] Nettros – Counseling for eating disorders: Chatteteneste at nettros.no or call 948 17 818.
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Snapchat suggested that “Kristian” should become friends with drug dealers – news Trøndelag
