Posts Tagged twitter
#Londonsburning
Posted by Nick Cowen in Civil Liberty, Crime on 20/09/2011
By Tom Hall
For a few dramatic days in August 2011 the twin pillars of law and order seemed on the verge of collapse as an epidemic of riots and vandalism spread across the United Kingdom. The question of how a small protest against apparent police brutality in Tottenham could spark upheaval as far afield as Huddersfield has given rise to a number of competing explanations.1 Significantly, many commentators and politicians have homed in on the role of social networking and its relationship with Generation Y. Given Twitter and Facebook’s past form – many have labelled the Arab Spring the “Facebook Revolution” – it is worth seriously considering their effects on Generation Y. This article will tackle the interrelated questions of whether social media caused the UK riots (including Twitter, Facebook, and Blackberry messenger) and, if so, whether these platforms should be suspended from use during times of crisis.
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Will MPs vote with their Tweet?
Posted by Nick Cowen in Politics on 29/03/2011
By Tom Shakhli
Poor old social media. You would think that having put us back in touch with our old school friends, broadened our work networks, and facilitated a revolution or two, we would cut it some slack and be content to take a step back and marvel as it continues to sweep through the world. To oppose it as a concept, goes the argument, is to be elitist, out-of-touch, or an opponent of modernisation. Hopefully this accusation does not inhibit us from questioning it on a case-by-case basis, which is the premise of this post. Most people have benefited from having a Facebook account, looking for jobs on LinkedIn, and despite its futility, spending too much time on YouTube. However, hidden in the news this week was something that perhaps should make us pause and think about whether the juggernaut of social media should be given a free, access-all-areas pass: the recommendation that MPs be allowed to use Twitter in the chamber of the House of Commons.
