Social Media and the London Riots
People have been asking me about the role of social media in the London riots. The point is that social media is neutral. It is just a tool.
One minute it is the hero, with the waves of democracy breaking out in Arab states, and then it is cast as the villain by newspapers in connection with the riots. It cannot be both.
Also note that some coverage of social media in certain newspapers is coloured by the fact that they are threatened by social media - ie, now everyone can be a journalist.
Excellent piece by Ben Rooney in the Wall Street Journal on the topic.
