London burned this weekend as rioters and looters took to the streets of Tottenham. It's been widely reported that the trouble was co-ordinated through Facebook, Twitter and even BlackBerry Messenger, but can we really blame social-media software?
The spotlight has mainly focused on BlackBerry Messenger. BlackBerry phones have a reputation for being worn in the belt holsters of power-suited executives, but they're also popular with da yoof, thanks to BBM, a free instant messaging service.
Unlike text messages, BBM is free, and you can see when people have read your message. It's more instant than email, more private than Twitter, and, with BlackBerry Groups and BlackBerry Broadcast Messages, can still be used to publish messages to large groups. Such qualities have seen BlackBerry devices explode in popularity among a younger audience.
This weekend, that younger audience learned from friends of the trouble brewing in Tottenham via their BlackBerry handsets, before the media began covering the nascent riot. BBM beat BBC, you might say.
Tensions have been running high since police shot dead 29-year-old Mark Duggan in Tottenham on Thursday. The Telegraph reported that Duggan sent a message via BBM to his girlfriend shortly before his death, telling her: "The Feds are following me."
A peaceful protest against the shooting turned into a night of carnage and looting, with PC World, Comet and Carphone Warehouse outlets smashed and cleared out on Saturday night. Cars and buildings burned, and pictures and videos of the violence quickly appeared on Twitter and YouTube. Pockets of violence also flared up in Brixton and east London.
Inevitably, the Daily Mail's blunderbuss of blame blasted at Twitter. The Mail described tweets about the riot as a "Twitter frenzy", and referred to "fears that violence was fanned by Twitter, as a picture of burning police car was retweeted more than 100 times". The latter comment was, incidentally, made in an article filled with pictures of burning cars and buildings.
Similar tensions within the local community led to rioting in the Broadwater Farm area of Tottenham in 1985. The last time we checked, there was no Twitter or Facebook in 1985.
As always, technology is just a tool. Those who were intent on causing trouble could have communicated via Twitter, BBM or elaborate hieroglyphics, and they would still be to blame, not the tools. Indeed, the Guardian reported that messages circulated on BBM calling for looters to meet in Oxford Circus -- but other messages called for an end to the violence.
And let's not forget the much-lauded role of social media in the popular revolutions that saw the people of Egypt and other countries rise up against oppressive regimes.
BBM has just been updated to BBM6, adding chat to apps and games. The ability to smack talk opponents in games will appeal to the kids, showing that RIM must be aware of its brand's youth appeal -- which makes us wonder why it insists on putting out such boring phones.
Other brands have clearly spotted the success of BBM. Nokia has a free messaging app in the Ovi Store now. Apple is launching a similar service called iMessage in iOS 5, the next big software update for the iPad and iPhone.
If Apple does indeed serve up a cheaper little brother to the iPhone, it may be in the price range of younger phone users and could dethrone BlackBerry as the yoof's favourite. Let's hope it doesn't get used to organise any riots.
Should social media be monitored for social unrest? Should Liking or LOLing at a riot be illegal? Tell us your thoughts in the comments section below or on our Facebook page.
Update: The official BlackBerry UK Twitter account just chirruped, "We feel for those impacted by the riots in London. We have engaged with the authorities to assist in any way we can."
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Comments 9
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anonymous 8 August, 2011 14:31
It can't be the fault of social media - if it were, Vodaphone would have shut down the network over the weekend and tweeted messages about how glorious David Cameron is.......
Anonymous 8 August, 2011 16:46
So according to the media, smartphones and the internet not only cause cancer, but also encourage people to start riots? For god's sake, this is getting ridiculous - next they'll be telling us that breathing oxygen causes baby polar bears to die. And I presume that if the riot was organised via a series of sign-up sheets, they would claim that paper is responsible?
anonymous 8 August, 2011 20:01
this is yet again just a blame game set up by the police and the media because neither are quick enough or actually capable to cope with things like this and so blame things that are out of there control which they desperately crave to control and please note cnet that us youths do not appreciate being called such and have the mickey taken out of us
Anonymous 8 August, 2011 22:57
hey honkeyz - email me for free tvs and stuff from tottenham hehe
bertanbudak@clara.co.uk
pablouk1 8 August, 2011 22:59
Nope the problem is the weak and pathetic authorities in England scared to hit these scum hard in case they upset their "rights", or some such rubbish............Shoot the little b@stards, Looting will soon stop.
Anonymous 9 August, 2011 07:53
I think there too stretched down there,get the army back here and deal with this,these mindless thugs have these phones,(yet no job!) and i do believe that they are being used to orchestrate these riots,DEFINATELY! I cant help but feel for they innocent people that have been trapped in all this,modern technology MUST share the blame for this as well..............
Green 9 August, 2011 08:30
Another instance of peaceful protests getting out of control, just like the students thing last year. The thing is, at those protests people with strong ideologies hijacked it and egged the students on; but this doesn't absolve the student's responsibility for their own actions. However, at the same time, the blame was also partially on the government royally screwing them over.
In this case, the protests are fuelled by (I feel) justified indignation, but the looting and rioting that's been incited as a result is still the actions of the people. It may be egged on by people on twitter but, as this article aptly points out, people have been communicating ideas for thousands of years and the medium of communication is not to blame. If the protesters had been encouraged by a book, would the government be blaming books?
It's very rich of the MPs to place blame, when the real blame is shared: it's partially down to the MPs and the disproportionate power they give to police to freely shoot civilians (though we can argue over the circumstances of this particular case) and it's also the fault of the rioters for a disproportionately violent reaction. Twitter is just the megaphone of the people; it shouts ideas, run with it if you want.
Anonymous 9 August, 2011 09:21
To a degree social network helps in escalating the situation by the mere fact of it's convenience. The problems are social, Theresa May talks of "consequences" what "concequences" these young men and women know the police will not touch them so they can do as they please. With no "consequence" It's a disgrace the pictures i saw today on TV police with dogs, let the dogs loose, then these young supposed hard nuts would be sh------g themselves. It's a joke these poor peoples liviehoods valdalised just for fun. The Government and Police have taken the softly softly approach for too long. Get tough then you may gain some respect. I believe no one political party is to blame they both are! Labour was in 10 years and opened the flood gates on this very small island, what can you expect. The Labour Government got us into debt, but when convenient "we are in it together" why should we get them out of their mess. If i got in debt would the Government bail me out - a big fat no!! Wake up and smell the coffee!!
Green 9 August, 2011 09:41
Just to clarify, I feel that the originally peaceful protests was borne of righteous anger; the violence and looting it became is, I agree, totally unjustified.