The widespread availability of social media has been widely exploited for charity as well as entertainment. The downside? It can also be used for crime. The harmless, rapid rise of flash mobs has unfortunately turned into a channel for looting and violence. Such organized surprise public displays are guaranteed of YouTube stardom. The bigger the event, the more views your video gets, whether it be a wedding, dance, or zombie invasion. The flash mob has certainly made its presence felt in social media and pop culture. Typically organized through a series of text messages, tweets, or Facebook posts, these events are unexpected and often uncontainable. The lack of police presence or knowledge is typically not a problem when zombie teens invade college campuses, but crime mobs are a bit different.
In a survey done by an industry group, it was revealed that the rise in organized crime correlates with a spike in technology. According to the survey, "Of 129 retailers, primarily national store chains, surveyed this spring by the National Retail Federation, 94.5 percent said they were victimized by organized criminals in the past year. And 84.8 percent said the problem has only worsened in the past three years." It's important to note that while the increase is not solely due to flash mob crime, but they are certainly contributing.
More disconcerting is the use of social media to organize gang gatherings as seen on April 28 this year in Venice Beach. According to NPR, Alexandria Thompson, a woman on neighbourhood watch, used her Tweetdeck to monitor potential dangers and reported to the police when "Venice beach bball ct going up tomorrow," showed up. There was also mention of gang affiliations which also led to her reporting the possibility of trouble to the police. Thanks to Thompson's tip, police were able to contain the situation that ended in one man shot.
The latest crime mob occurred on June 7, 2011 in Chicago, where as many as 15 teens stormed Chicago Transit Authority buses in two separate events. The mob attacked their victims and darted off with electronic devices, authorities said Tuesday. 5 teens have been brought to justice and Chicago PD continues investigating in hopes of finding other members of the group that committed the crimes.
