Social Media didn’t cause the British Riots, however they have the power to cause more damage than good. People have been jailed for inciting violence via social networking sites. Hateful comments on social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter have angered many people and have possibly been the trigger for them to act more violently. Also, many rioters have used the Blackberry Messenger service to organise raids on shops and businesses. It is a concern that police were thinking about switching off access to sites such as Facebook and Twitter, because it causing too much disturbance.
On the other hand, social media is useful for identifying the perpetrators, and raising awarness around the world.
Though social media has had a negative effect on the British riots, I would say that people are still the main cause. If there was no such thing as social media, people with that frame of mind, would find another way get their message across. An article in PC World Communications said:
“There are so many new ways to communicate, with more coming all the time. We shouldn't start blaming social media--which is merely a channel--for an individual's bad behavior, or there will be no telling what it'll be blamed for next.” (PC World Communications, 2011)
Reference:
PC World Communications, Inc 1998 -2011, viewed, 18 August 2011
http://www.pcworld.com/article/238333/after_the_riots_can_social_media_stand_up_against_the_bad_press.html
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