The Good and Bad of Social Media

The White House just released a terrorism strategy that claims Facebook, Twitter, and other social networks aid in “advancing violent extremist narratives” and should be monitored by the government.

Across the pond, officials in London are also blaming social media tools, specifically BlackBerry Messenger, for the recent spur of violence and riots plaguing the city.

According to Britain’s communications regulator, Ofcom, 37% of British teenagers use BlackBerry handsets. This platform, unlike SMS, Facebook and Twitter, allows users to send encrypted messages that cannot be easily tracked by police.

Media hype of late is focusing on the negative aspects of social media, and we at DMN disagree with this train of thought. While the events transpiring in London are devastating, the social media tools are not to blame. Twitter and BBM are simply outlets that people use to relay information to one another, just as snail-mail and telephone calls do. Riots and terrorist plots are occurring, not because social media is facilitating them, but because people are gathering and taking action.

Over the past five years, social media channels have allowed for incredibly positive communication and engagement, especially in the wake of disasters. Take for example, Hurricane Katrina or the recent outbreak of tornadoes in the mid-west. These platforms have allowed people to come together, share their stories of survival and raise significant funds to rebuild the future.

In these situations, people are simply communicating and sharing messages though the channels available to them, which is proof of humans’ inherent need to communicate with others. While it is easy to blame something, such as a phone, it is important to look at situations like this in greater context.

[Forbes.com & SocialTimes.com]