In Here is how one message posted by a looter on a popular social media goes, If you're down for making money, we're about to go hard in east London. There are many other posts that get even more specific, as they direct the looters precisely to the stores that sell expensive stereo equipment, designer clothes, alcohol, bicycles and much else.
Some gangs in London have been detected using encrypted messages sent via BlackBerry smartphones to tell their members where they have to gather in the city for the next round of mayhem.
RIMs BlackBerry seems to have become very popular among the youths in all parts of Europe, primarily because they are cheap, compatible with multimedia and private. For the looters and rioters of Tottenham, Enfield and Brixton, the communications tool of choice has apparently been BlackBerry Messenger (BBM). In many instances, BBM has acted as the private, encrypted social network to spread rumours and fuel more violence.
The system of encrypted messages gives troublemakers an added benefit: cops are not able to immediately trace the handset from where the message has originated. Even non-BlackBerry smartphones, like the ones that run Android OS, are being used to spread rumours through normal text messages or through Facebook and Twitter.
During the Jasmine revolution in Arab countries earlier this year, social media like Facebook and Twitter had come in for lot of praise. They were being seen as tools that facilitate the spread of political reform and democracy. But the London riots have started conjuring a different kind of impression.
It is ironic that in Arab countries the youths used social media to spread the ideas of openness, in London the same technologies are being used to orchestrate violence, arson and loot. Some youngsters in London have already been detained for using social media to encourage violence.
However, there is another side to the story. There are many instances where social networks and BlackBerry messaging services have provided refuge for fearful residents and shop owners who say police efforts have been feeble and slow. Twitter is proving to be particularly helpful in pinpointing areas of violence. Social organisations are also using Facebook and Twitter to organize community cleanup groups and alert people of alternative routes they can use.
It is time for us to recognise the basic fact that the modern technology is merely a tool. How this tool gets used depends on the ethical values of the user. So lets not fall into the trap of blaming cell phones or social media for the violence. The ones to blame are the hoodlums who misuse technology for their myopic political or personal agenda.
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