Washington DC just witnessed violent riots that took most people by surprise. But for people who have been observing trends on Social Media keenly, the signs were there to see.
The events that led up to political extremists storming the capital have been building up for a while now. Much of that build-up leading was taking place on Social Media.
Now that we know how dangerous Social Media can be, there are some touch lessons for the tech community to learn.
There is no doubt that technology has done so much good within Washington DC. Law enforcement agencies have leveraged the power of Social Media to trace and apprehend individuals who participated in the lawlessness of that day.
The riots in D.C. have brought to the fore the good and bad side of technology.
How Technology Enabled the Riots in Washington
It is impossible to deny the role of technology in making what happened at the Capitol even possible. Platforms like Twitter had rioters openly agitating and organizing during the lead up to the event. Little attention was paid to them.
Extremist groups congregated and coordinated their activities on Social Media networks including Twitter, where they built up the momentum to their big day when they stormed Washington.
As the rioters plotted together with like-minded people and groups like QAnon on Social Media, they also spread lots of misinformation.
Fact or Falsehood?
One of the major observations from the activities of the few weeks is how falsehoods get retweeted more frequently than facts.
Because social media users aren’t protected enough from misinformation, misinterpretations and lies often spread faster than facts.
This easily leads to events like what we witnessed on the 6th, when mobs of rioters stormed the Capitol in Washington DC.
Social Media companies have been the subject of much criticism for their failure to act in a more timely fashion. If groups like QAnon had lost their social media platform earlier, they would not have successfully mobilized for the D. C. riots.
The Role of Tech Companies in Security After the Riot
It may seem like the role of technology in these riots was a purely negative one, but technology has also played a positive role in the situation.
Because the riots were so widely publicized on Social Media with thousands of photos, videos, and live streams, law enforcement had an easy time tracking down rioters with facial recognition technology.
The vast wireless network on the Capitol helped law enforcement to track devices within the building. As the rioters stormed the building, their IP addresses were picked up by the network. This made them easily identifiable by their phone records.
Social Media no doubt played a role in making the Washington DC riots happen. But it is also a useful tool for bringing the law-breaking rioters to book by providing a record of their intentions which are admissible in a court of law.
Besides just providing evidence after the fact, law enforcement agencies are working on using Social Media to predict such events before they occur and act to stop or prevent them.
How the Capitol Riots Could Shape the World of Technology
The riots in DC brought in light the good and bad aspects of technology and now people are even more aware than before of the influence of technology on public safety.
This newfound awareness could shift the way America handles technology going forward. Tech companies are taking a more proactive approach to dealing with threats, and the government is putting technology at the center of its security operations.
Because Washington D.C.s wireless infrastructure was so instrumental in tracing and apprehending the rioters, it is likely that more attention will be focused on establishing more smart cities across America in order to enjoy the security benefits. Experts foresee that smart cities will grow by 18.9% per year over the next five years.
Law enforcement can be a lot more efficient if they can leverage a more connected city infrastructure
Twitter and Facebook responded to the riots by locking Trump’s social media accounts ostensibly to keep him from inciting more violence.
This is the most drastic action that a social media company has taken against abuse of their platforms by public officials.
Social media sites could become more proactive in future to identify and address these threats in time.
Technology’s Power for Good and Evil
Technology is as good or as evil as its users. The D.C. riots have demonstrated clearly that technology’s greatest strength is also its greatest power to harm.
Technology’s power of positivity or destruction is possible depending on how it is used.
We cannot condemn technology in total even after what happened any more than we can keep going without changing anything.
The greatest lesson is that individual users, tech companies, and authorities must be vigilant to harness the power of Social Media for good while mitigating evil.
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