Social media apps, and the companies that promote them are more than likely to face heightened scrutiny, if not outright clamp downs from US regulators as the Flashmob Epidemic moves from the Mid East to the UK, and now inciting violence across the US.
You read it here first: Cellphone carriers will undoubtedly be included in a new wave of government actions intended to prevent unruly and violent mobs from gathering and wreaking havoc.
Sure, were it not for social media apps, Mark Zuckerberg wouldn't have become a zillionaire, countless VC's wouldn't have been resuscitated in the latest investment industry frenzy, and the "Arab Spring" would have wilted before the first bud appeared.And Ashton Kutcher, the guy with the largest following on Twitter, might not have replaced Charlie Sheen on that TV show 2 1/2 Men.
Yes, we love social media for creating billions of dollars of wealth, and helping to create jobs for thousands of marketers and ad sales people. Not to mention the jolt its provided for a bunch of staggering brands. It would seem to be a good thing that a bunch of dictator regimes have fallen, all thanks to social media, but into the hands of who? Liberal or altruistic democrats? Hardly. The founders of Facebook and Twitter, cheered on by the likes of Anderson Cooper might want to think that their social media tools should be credited with inciting movements not seen since Mahatma Gandi, but the facts tell a different story so far.
Sure, we can blame the spreading civil unrest on challenging economic times, and we can blame that on inept politicians and corrupt government officials that seem to care only about their largest campaign donors or the private sector lobbyists holding out job offers that are conditioned on legislation or regulation that delivers bigger profits and bonuses to corporate titans.
But record unemployment and the growing chasm between haves and have nots ain't going to be solved by the type of social-media inspired violent outbreaks that we're seeing in the UK, and now in the US. These are destructive events being led by youth-centric anarchists wielding social-media powered cellphones; the new tools of the social disruption trade.
"What about freedom of speech? Or what happened our right to our right to congregate?.." you might ask. This blogger respectfully suggests that when all of the other constitutional rights, not to mention public safety, are being threatened by gangs of unruly mobsters [many of whom have been living on the government teet simply because its easier than working] --and intent on re-creating scenes from Mad Max and the Thunderdome, then the weapons they're using need to be taken away.
If that means Twitter, Facebook, FourSquare or the other less ubiquitous names in the space should be subjected to new rules that prevent instantaneous broadcast of messages that inspire unruly mobs to gather and wreak mayhem, or if it means I can't update my LinkedIn, or broadcast a txt msg to more than 4 peeps at the same time via my Verizon-powered cell phone in order to promote a brand that's hired me to raise awareness for their new bikini wax, or if means the value of the shares that I bought in FourSquare on the SecondMarket platform is going to crater, then I'm all in favor of Big Brother clamping down. I can easily sell my shares tomorrow.
What? You'd rather have a bunch of under-employed teens throwing a brick through your store front window for the fun of it? Or, maybe its ok with you when 20 unruly twenty-somethings get a Twitter message to show up on your street and turn over your car and light it on fire while your infant is in the back sit?
Something is clearly awry when widgets created by wonkers-turned-billionaires are turning the world literally upside down. To the Zuckerberg's of the world, and the other Gen Z geniuses: you need to take a time out if you truly believe that power is in the hands of the beholder and can be exploited without consideration for the impact on public welfare. Otherwise, you should get yourself prepared for a serious spanking.
Yes..I said it and now I feel better.
1 comment:
I'm not a fan of censorship in any form, but I agree that something has to be done to prevent the kind of activity that is happening with these flash mobs. Free speech rights are applicable when that speech is used to incite violence or conspire to commit a crime.
On a LinkedIn group last week, someone claimed that we need to just "get used to" copyright infringement because it's happening all over the web. Same rules apply here - if you're breaking the law, you're breaking the law, whether it's done online or outside of the "virtual world."
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