From social media websites to online news and blogs, the increased use of digital technology over the past few decades has undoubtedly become a normal aspect of everyday life. Even in 2011, millions of people worldwide relied on digital technologies each day, with social media being a main point of discussion during the 2011 UK riots and their aftermath.
One main contributor to the organisation and the ultimate eruption of the riots appeared to be BlackBerry Messenger (BBM), along with Twitter, whereby information on where riots were and what police were doing could be shared at the click of a button, according to Ball and Brown (2011). BBM was a free, popular service exclusive to BlackBerry phones and one that made the brand sought-after by rioters due to its security, messages being private and encrypted, unlike tweets on Twitter, for example, which are usually public (Ball and Brown, 2011).
In a study conducted by Morrell et al. (2011) concerning the riots and the involvement of young people, it is outlined how they found out about the riots. They highlighted the importance of receiving information through social media, and how these platforms played a part in shaping involvement. They also placed emphasis on the role of BBM in ‘telling them and others “what was happening and where to go next”’. Examples of BBM messages shared during the riots, as outlined by Ball and Brown (2011), include, ‘Just got the word that boys are making way to #croydon, make it happen boys! Burn the place to the ground #Lewisham #Hackney #londonriots’ and ‘H.U.D riot tonight kingsgate at 12 . Be there … SPREAD THE WORD.’
A number of politicians have consolidated and advanced the suggestions that social networking had a role to play in causing the riots. Prime Minister at the time, David Cameron, said, ‘Everyone watching these horrific actions will be struck by how they were organised via social media’ (Halliday for The Guardian, 2011). The former British Home Secretary, Theresa May, also delivered a speech to the House of Commons following the riots, and claimed that social media was used during the riots to ‘coordinate criminality and stay one step ahead of the police’ (The Home Office, 2011). In other words, their claim was that the riots were caused solely by social media.
Despite the view that social media was at the centre of the unrest, research funded by the Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC) analysed over 2 million tweets over the period that the riots took place. The results found that there was “no evidence” to suggest Twitter incited the riots. Professor Rob Proctor, who led the study, stated that whilst politicians were quick to point the blame at social media, “our study found no evidence of significance in the available data that would justify such a course of action”. Likewise, Freddie Benjamin, a research manager at Mobile Youth, told BBC News that once one person starts posting to BBM or twitter, more people try to follow the trend. He claims that they might not join the actual event, but they might talk about it which makes it seem like they are taking part (Mackenzie, 2011).
Whilst it can be said that social media did not necessarily trigger involvement, there is no doubt that it sped up the exchange of information relating to the riots, and played a part, albeit minor, in increasing the chances of rioters getting involved (Morrell et al., 2011). Ultimately, it is humans rebelling against issues in society who orchestrate unrest and revolutions, rather than technology.
Bibliography
Ball, J., Brown, S. (2011) ‘Why BlackBerry Messenger was rioters’ communication method of choice’. The Guardian online. Available from https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2011/dec/07/bbm-rioters-communication-method-choice [accessed on 09/03/2020].
Fuchs, C. (2012) ‘Social media, riots, and revolutions’ in Capital and Class. Vol.36, No.3, PP.383-391.
Halliday, J. (2011) ‘David Cameron considers banning suspected rioters from social media’. The Guardian online. Available from https://www.theguardian.com/media/2011/aug/11/david-cameron-rioters-social-media [accessed on 11/03/2020].
Joint Information Systems Committee (2011) ‘Social media ‘not to blame’ for inciting rioters’. Available from http://www.jisc.ac.uk/news/stories/2011/12/riot.aspx [accessed on 11/03/2020].
Mackenzie, I. (2011) ‘Is technology to blame for the London riots?’ BBC News online. Available from https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-14442203 [accessed on 09/03/2020].
Morrell, G., Scott, S., McNeish, D., Webster, S. (2011) The August riots in England: Understanding the involvement of young people. National Center for Social Research. Available from https://www.dmss.co.uk/pdfs/The-August-Riots-in-England.pdf [accessed on 09/03/2020].
The Home Office (2011) Riots: Theresa May’s speech on 11 August 2011. Available online from https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/riots-theresa-mays-speech-on-11-august-2011 [accessed on 11/03/2020].
2011 UK Riots 