Crime met social networking in 2010, as some of the most heinous human acts spilled over onto Facebook, Twitter and YouTube and streamed into social consciousness.
From photos being posted on Facebook of a 16-year-old girl being raped at a B.C. rave to video and commentary from the G20 riots in Toronto being shared on Twitter, crime is becoming difficult to avoid in a connected world.
Cyberbullying is reaching an epidemic point, said Sidneyeve Matrix, an assistant media professor at Queen's University in Kingston, Ont.
"Bullying isn't new," Matrix said. "Peer pressure isn't new. But it's been amplified. It's not just on the playground anymore -- it's 24/7."
The prevalence of crime appearing on social media platforms is becoming much more vast -- and is very public -- Matrix said.
More youths are sexting -- sending sexually explicit messages, photos and videos. In 2010, a string of U.S. suicides were reportedly related to young people being outed online as homosexuals And there are mounting concerns about the production and distribution of child pornography on social networks -- some of it unwittingly by uneducated minors.
"The power of these publishing platforms is pretty astounding," Matrix said. "It can be so devastating when people don't realize the reverberations."
Many Canadians don't have as much digital literacy as they should, Matrix said. But she expects to see some of that change over the coming years, especially as those in the generation Y age group approaches child-rearing age.
"Gen-Y is pretty web-savvy and will use the web to push back (against some of the crime and bullying)," she said.
Social media will play an increasingly important role in participatory citizenship, Matrix said, pointing to the G8/G20 meetings as an example.
The summit this summer in Toronto was a "game changer" for how Canadians interacted with social media, she said.
Organizers used social networks sites to post updates as the demonstrations unfolded in Toronto and activists and rioters interacted with police -- sometimes violently.
The summit was also a turning point for law enforcement's interaction with social media, said Scott Mills, the Toronto Police Force's social media officer.
"After the G20, the decision-makers could really see ... this is something we should do and started asking, how do we do this?" Mills said.
Social media allows police to have a two-way conversation, he said.
Mills said the use of social media has allowed Toronto police to stop at least five youth suicides, intervene ahead of two possible school shootings, prevent some gang-related activity, investigate suspected terrorist plots and deter bullying.
Society shouldn't be intimidated by social media, he said. "We really do have to look at paradigm shifts."
Social media can be used for social good but any communication tools can also be used for other purposes, Matrix said. "But participatory citizenship is happening if you're plugged in or not."
Police will be using social networks even more in 2011, Mills said.
"It's going to be more interactive. If it's a one-way conversation, it's not going to be any different then what we've done before," he said.
Source: http://www.niagarafallsreview.ca
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