Network Effects: Social Media's Role in the London Riots
Facebook and Twitter can fuel uprisings by allowing participants to coordinate action and to see themselves as part of a larger movement
In the wake of a controversial police shooting, Britain’s capital city has been rocked by two straight days of widespread rioting and looting. As with previous riots—such as those in Vancouver, B.C., following the Stanley Cup finals—everyone seems to be looking for a culprit, with some blaming Twitter and Facebook, and others pinning the violence on BlackBerry (RIMM) and its instant messaging abilities. But that’s a little like blaming individual trees for the forest fire. As we’ve pointed out before with respect to the uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt, these are just aspects of our increasingly real-time, mobile, and connected lives, and they can be an incredibly powerful force for both good and bad.
Although they are completely different in important ways, there are also some interesting similarities between the riots in London this weekend and the uprisings in Egypt’s Tahrir Square. Both were triggered by the death of a man whom some believed was unfairly targeted by the authorities. In Britain, it was Mark Duggan—a 29-year-old father of four shot dead after being stopped by the police—and in Egypt, it was Khaled Said, a 28-year-old businessman who was pulled from an Internet cafe and beaten to death by security forces. Both deaths also led to the creation of Facebook pages that became the focus of a social media effort that ultimately fueled the protests.
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