Motivated by recent instances of vigilantism that have captured media attention, such as the murder of Ahmaud Arbery and the trial of Kyle Rittenhouse, Drs. Castle and Meade examine vigilantism through historical contexts, popular culture, and modern technologies. From vigilantes’ presence in the frontier and early states, to their contemporary manifestations in Neighborhood Watch and digital cybersleuthing, Castle and Meade characterize the evolution of the vigilante narrative and vigilantes' purpose of social group control.

This book considers the impacts of vigilante mythology in American pop culture, with special emphasis on the early Western vigilante to the urban vigilante, like Dirty Harry and Death Wish, to comic book superheroes like Batman. How do these fictional characters who beat down and murder criminals on film impact cultural messages about crime, justice, and vengeance?

Castle and Meade further explore the impact of digital technologies and novel viruses on vigilantism. "Digilantes" administer their own brand of extralegal justice online by hunting pedophiles, and TikTok cybersleuths harass random strangers. The authors also coin a new term, "viralantes," to describe “virus vigilantes” who police and punish the frontiers of pandemic lockdowns and restrictions. This seminal work on vigilantism blends the scholarly and popular in characterizing the modern vigilante.