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We are proud to congratulate Ivana Zdjelar on successfully defending her MA thesis. 鈥淥nline Places, Managed Spaces: Reconceptualizing the Internet Through Place Management and the ORCA Framework鈥�.

Ivana鈥檚 work extends environmental criminology into online spaces and reframes how criminology understands the structure and governance of the internet. It gives extremism researchers a new angle to consider.

Abstract

Environmental criminology demonstrates that crime is shaped by how a place is managed. Yet when harmful activity moves online, these spaces are typically treated as tools rather than places. This thesis challenges that assumption by examining whether online discussion forums function as place and how they are managed. Drawing on place management theory and the ORCA framework, the study first assesses whether three online forums exhibit the defining characteristics of proprietary places. It then examines how owners, administrators, and moderators organize space, regulate conduct, control access, and acquire resources within these environments. Using a multiple-case study design, the research evaluates whether the core functions of place management are observable in online settings. Findings indicate that: (1) online forums possess the same characteristics of proprietary places, (2) online place managers apply each of the ORCA components, and (3) place managers differ in how they apply each ORCA component depending on the function of the place. By conceptualizing websites as managed places, this thesis extends environmental criminology into online spaces and reframes how criminology understands the structure and governance of the internet.

Well done, Ivana! We can't wait to see where your talents take you next!