The Authorities Using Social Media as an Investigative Tool
Social media has changed our lives in countless ways. If you are a novice social media user, then you probably hold social media responsible for bringing you closer to friends and family. But social media has also brought strangers closer together. A prime example of this is flash mobs.
Flash mobs are large groups of people who assemble suddenly in public places and perform random activities for a brief period of time, and then quickly disperse. People find out about flash mobs via social media, text messages or viral emails. The problem is, in Philadelphia these flash mobs are becoming violent and destructive. According to Debra Cassens Weiss’s ABA Journal article entitled, FBI to Monitor Social Media to Fight ‘Flash Mobs’ of Roving Teens, Philadelphia authorities along with the FBI are cracking down on violent “flash mobs” by monitoring social media networks used to recruit participants. Only the future will tell how else social media will effect our everyday lives.
