With London burning and the violence spreading to other cities, the hunt for someone or something to blame has already begun.
According to some parts of the media, the trouble wasn't spreading because of the close-ups of burning buildings shown continuously on the news channels. No. It was spreading because of tech.
Networks are neutral
People riot for many reasons: anger, opportunism, disinhibition, thrill-seeking... it's a long list, and "because somebody told me to on BBM" is towards the bottom of that list.
Of course some rioters and looters used their phones to co-ordinate things. It'd be a shock if they didn't, because smartphones are what kids use to communicate with each other. Previous trouble has been arranged with the help of SMS texts. Before that, phones. Before that, leaflets.
Like any technology, social networks are neutral: they're only as good as or as bad as the people using them. And in most cases, what I saw on the social networks last night and this morning was positive. People were using social networking not to cause trouble, but to avoid it - and in some cases, to try to prevent it.
They debunked rumours, corrected misinformation and highlighted the idiots and organisations trying to twist the news to fit particular agendas. They shared details of where trouble was already happening and where it appeared to be brewing. They passed on travel advice to strangers and checked in on friends, and this morning they're using the #riotcleanup hashtag to band together and help clean up the aftermath. They're not throwing bricks. They're bringing bin bags and brooms.
