NCJ Number
238635
Journal
Internet Journal of Criminology Dated: 2011
Date Published
2011
Length
9 pages
Annotation
This study analyzed the content and communicative features of graffiti in public restrooms and their relation to the nature of the space and larger socio-cultural values.
Abstract
Graffiti has been an important cultural phenomenon throughout history. However, research has yet to explore how the characteristics of the medium itself influence the graffiti for which it serves as a backdrop. One of the most unique mediums in which graffiti regularly appears is public restrooms, which offer potential graffitists almost complete anonymity. This study analyzed the content and communicative features of 323 graffito in public restrooms and their relation to the nature of the space and larger socio-cultural values. The results show that no particular ideological paradigm is predominant among the graffiti. Rather, the anonymity of the medium acts to preserve an ongoing ideological debate where identity is formed and reframed throughout. (Published Abstract)