wtf ?
#londonriots

Graham Brown" www.mobileYouth.org My name
is Graham Brown and I’m an author and co-founder of mobileYouth. " " Since 2001, I’ve been studying how youth use technology for both marketing clients and social projects. My approach is Social Thinking – understanding how technology and brands are Social Tools within their lives. The #londonriots is a good example of how these tools can be used equally destructive and creative means. #londonriots

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#londonriots: wtf?

8/8 London 2011: Unprecedent levels
of rioting and disorder" Why did this happen?

…but as we’ll find out
later, there was a second story being told that unearthed the positive side of both social action and technology

So the first story: what
the media focused on h at ? 1. unprecedented damage w 2. “random” rioting 3. theft and vandalism not politics

Mobile phones and clothing stores
experienced most damage

1. economic social backdrop 2.
school vacation 3. messaging & social media 4. historic flashpoint

Riots were de-centralized, leaderless and
seemingly spontaneous

#londonriots: what role did social
media play?

Social media played a key
role in on-the- ground coverage of the riots

Social media key to forming
and shaping opinions

Riots did not reflect a
wider sentiment of dissent in the general public on Twitter

What role did BBM play
in the riots?

BBM (Blackberry Messenger) was a
key tool for rioters to organize and communicate activity in small, decentralized groups

BBM allows distributed, decentralized and
anonymous communication within groups

BBM trumps SMS because unlike
SMS messaging can be organized into discrete groups which allow social dynamics to emerge

Whereas Facebook is more open,
identifiable and traceable to outsiders

BBM preferred technology for youth
because a) can organize as groups b) discrete (vs open) communication platform

A potential PR headache for
Blackberry and maintaining its executive image

#londonriots: a tale of two
cities

3 Key Characteristics of Social
Action 1. Highly decentralized, bottom-up, self-organizing, leaderless and often appearing “random” " 2. Driven by 2 key Social Drivers: " a) the need to belong and " b) the need to be significant" 3. Facilitated by a combination of technology and events that precipitate a feeling of injustice

#londonriots: a tale of two
cities" Part 1: Social drivers as Destroyer

Social Drivers as Destroyer 1)
The need to belong Peer group reinforcement, social currency

Social Drivers as Destroyer 1)
The need to belong It’s “us versus them”

Social Drivers as Destroyer 2)
The need to be significant Infamy is better than anonymity

Social Drivers as Destroyer 2)
The need to be significant The need to “reclaim” or regain control of your Social Space

Social Drivers as Destroyer 2)
The need to be significant Status symbols" Sense of power from being in control

Social Drivers as Destroyer 2)
The need to be significant Strong populist statements in reaction to a sense of powerlessness

Amazon UK sales 24 hrs
after riots highlight how violence can be the knee- jerk reaction to insignificance (note: these aren’t rioters but ordinary citizens) Social Drivers as Destroyer 2) The need to be significant

#londonriots: a tale of two
cities" Part 2: Social drivers as Creator

The creative response to threat
is the social huddle Social Drivers as Creator 1) The need to belong

#riotcleanup

Social Drivers as Creator 1)
The need to belong Empathy: not everyone empathizes with the rioters

Social Drivers as Creator 1)
The need to belong Social groups easily defined by a common enemy

Social Drivers as Creator 1)
The need to belong Little trust in the ability of centralized authority to either protect or clean up community. Londoners turn to Social Media to do it themselves

Social Drivers as Creator 1)
The need to belong Communities respond in a highly motivated and decentralized manner

Social Drivers as Creator 1)
The need to belong Twitter key tool to facilitate self- organizing activity

Social Drivers as Creator 1)
The need to belong

Communities self- organize without centralized
input Social Drivers as Creator 1) The need to belong

Social Drivers as Creator 1)
The need to belong Neighbours you’ve never spoken to before

Social Drivers as Creator 1)
The need to belong Communal giving in contrast to stealing

Social Drivers as Creator 1)
The need to belong

“Look at what I’m doing”
Social Drivers as Creator 2) The need to be significant

Moments captured and shared: social
currency Social Drivers as Creator 2) The need to be significant

Reclaim the streets Social Drivers
as Creator 2) The need to be significant

Social Drivers as Creator 2)
The need to be significant Community empowerment through collective strength

Social Drivers as Creator 2)
The need to be significant Positive esteem and wellbeing from sense of collective strength

Communities also use social media
to self- organize to self-police

Unlike traditional methods, social media
provides self-organizing communities with immediate tools to respond

#londonriots: conclusion

Social media did not create
the riots" Social drivers created the riots, media merely transmitted them between likeminded people

Technology is agnostic – neither
good nor bad" Technology merely accentuates our existing social and psychological conditions whether those conditions be destructive or creative

Limiting technology, therefore, will also
limit our capacity for acts of kindness and altruism. " The problem lies with the people not their tools

Graham Brown" www.mobileYouth.org My name
is Graham Brown and I’m an author and co-founder of mobileYouth. " " Since 2001, I’ve been studying how youth use technology for both marketing clients and social projects. My approach is Social Thinking – understanding how technology and brands are Social Tools within their lives. The #londonriots is a good example of how these tools can be used equally destructive and creative means. #londonriots

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