Smartphones and Twitter 'fuelling' London violence
A spate of riots and looting in the capital is being partially attributed to the prevalence of smartphone technology and social media usage amongst London’s teen gangs according to the Telegraph.
The paper reports that gang members have been posting live updates of their criminal activity on Twitter, including posting “trophy” pictures of themselves looting stores and standing in front of burning cars.
It is thought the violence is being orchestrated by Blackberry wielding youths, taking advantage of the systems free, and private, messages with gang members in “group chat” sessions.
News of the disorder spread on Twitter in advance of mainstream news outlets picking up the story, with many anarchists congregating at the main flashpoints by following feeds under the #Tottenham hashtag.
BBC and Sky News camera trucks were forced to withdraw from the scene at the height of the violence after coming under attack from protestors.