SOCIAL MEDIA’S ROLE IN STOPPING ORGANIZED CRIME

What They Can Do for Redemption

Social Media’s Role

Just like the many “flash mobs” organized on social media, it appears that the organized looting got the numbers to gather through social media posts.  Obviously, these aren’t going to be as clearly worded as “come loot Nordstrom’s on X date at X time,” but now that we know that this is how these groups have gotten the numbers together, it should be possible to scan posts to look for these kinds of calls to action.

Does it sound impossible?  So many people have been cancelled (cut off from a platform) by posts that cause far less harm, especially when you consider that you have a choice in what you read.  There have to be clues, looking back for posts that got these groups together.  In this way, the stores and police can be prepared and take action.  And if people understand that the platforms they choose to use to gather looters can intercept them, they may give up on the idea altogether.  No one really wants to be caught in the act of committing a crime.

Put the Onus Where it Counts

I remember reading about an AirBnB party in Orinda, CA that got out of hand.  A few people rented a house and then used social media to get hordes of people to show up.  A lively party turned deadly.  Orinda started to ban rentals and tried to put the blame on the homeowner.  But an AirBnB host has to trust the renters to only have the guests they list.  How can someone renting a whole house, where they can’t be resident as part of the agreement, be held responsible?

However, the partiers used social media to gather a crowd, so only those platforms can actually stop these kinds of problem.  They’ve shown great skill in dropping posts and controlling messaging.  Isn’t this their responsibility?  Without these platforms, a lot of problem situations couldn’t arise, because the perpetrators would have no way to gather a crowd.  No one talked about this with the Orinda (and other AirBnB problems).   But isn’t this the real answer?

Redemption

Social media is getting hit hard for a variety of issues, only one of which is censorship.  They have been accused of causing grievous harm to young, impressionable teens in a variety of ways.  Studies show that heavy users experience depression and isolation.  Many young people admit they have no real friends, just Facebook “friends.”  And the seeming monopoly of some of these companies concerns many people. 

If the platforms could figure out a way to turn this around by helping, first in stopping mob-related activities, that would be a start toward redemption.  Even the poorly organized, epic fail of January 6th probably started with some organization on one of these platforms.

If they want the right to control content and have access to our personal data, isn’t it then their responsibility to own the problems these platforms generate?

What do you think?  I’d love to see some ideas on how much social media should own the harm they enable.