Social Networking, Weaponized

As The Great Recession tightens its grip on the urban slums of the U.S. and Europe, a darker side of social networking has begun to emerge.  Last week, the civilized world was appalled to read about rioting British “youths” tweeting their friends and comrades-in-arms to join the fun. “We need more MAN than Feds so Everyone run wild, all of London and others are invited! Pure terror and havoc & Free stuff…just smash shop windows and cart out da stuff.”  Ahh, “da stuff!”  Such swag as has seldom been seen in London’s dismal rookeries: bowler hats from Locke. Brigg umbrellas. Church shoes.  London’s bobbies should have no trouble picking out the perpetrators on Monday.  They’ll be wearing bespoke suits that fit as poorly as O.J.’s infamous glove. Yobs will be firing up Cohibas with (unmonogrammed) Dunhill lighters, broad-tossers’ wrists will be adorned with Patek Phillipes, and louts will be ordering up Dom Perignon by the flagon in Piccadilly taverns.

All of this may sound vaguely familiar to Americans who endured the urban riots of the 1960s, decades before social networking was even imaginable.  Back then, FM radio was the medium best suited to celebrating the spoils of rioting.  And celebrate it they did: “Good morning!! boomed WUST disk jockey “Moon Man” the day after Washington D.C. erupted in flames in response to Martin Luther King’s assassination in April 1968. “How are all of you Boss Jocks out there with new color TVs and radios?!!  he asked, addressing and audience that must have included at least some listeners who had thrown bricks through store windows and crated off stolen appliances the previous day.  Riots were ostensibly “political” back then, and a news media that was only beginning to incubate White Guilt made all of those who watched the violence from their living rooms complicit in the theft and destruction.  Now, we shudder to think that the toll of riots yet to come, fueled by tweets and e-mails as they are certain to be, will make us nostalgic for the tactically uncoordinated urban violence of the 1960s.

The ‘Flash Rob’

Just as frightening is the speed at which social networking has become weaponized. A mere month ago, we were charmed by the possibilities of the so-called flash mob, where large groups of strangers are organized via social networking services or e-mail to show up at the same time and place for mass public performances and pranks.  A TV commercial currently airing in prime time spoofs a guy who makes a fool of himself by stripping and dancing maniacally in Grand Central Station, only to learn that the flash mob to which he’d been summoned had been rescheduled for 30 minutes later. And in the hit movie of the summer, Friends With Benefits, two flash mob stunts that also take place in Grand Central Station enable a hip Twenty-Something couple to find true love.  Contrast that with the latest mutation of the flash mob, the “flash rob,” where “youths” meandering through the aisles of a store suddenly grab items from the shelves and run for it, overwhelming employees and security.  Like their London cohort, the “youths” are not motivated, even ostensibly, by political concerns, but by the sheer thrill and ease of acquiring merchandise they have not paid for.

The Revolution Will Not Be Televised,” an iconic track from a 1970 record album that glorified the Black Panthers, was only half-right.  In fact, the revolution — or, to put it more plainly, the riots that seem likely to spread as economic hard times deepen – will have been tweeted, Facebooked, e-mailed and even Photoshopped before the TV cameras arrive.

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  • Robert August 18, 2011, 12:21 am

    In any organized system, entropy must always increase over time.

    Currency is only “current” otherwise it would be called “permanency”.

    This too, shall pass…

  • Darwin's Social August 15, 2011, 11:43 pm

    “Like their London cohort, the “youths” are not motivated, even ostensibly, by political concerns, but by the sheer thrill and ease of acquiring merchandise they have not paid for.”

    Acquiring merchandise they have not paid for and would otherwise never be able to afford.

  • Mava August 15, 2011, 10:49 pm

    I think so too. Personally, I don’t use anything at all, not even alcohol. But everyone behaves as if they know and have experience in this or that drug. There is also a lot of drug “trivia”, so much so that I think you’re right.

    One of the drugs we have discussed in Rick’s previous post, it is the TV.

  • John Jay August 15, 2011, 10:20 pm

    Maybe the reason a guy like Ron Paul gets no where is because of the state of the electorate. When I see the amounts of cocaine and marijuana, meth, heroin, alcohol etc. that are sold in this country it makes me think. No one I know uses that stuff, but that is a very small circle.
    I remember what my old boss told me once, “They’re all on something.” The drug wars in Mexico for access to the US market should make us think perhaps we are in the shrinking minority of sober, rational people. Com Con, Star Trek conventions, rabid NFL fans, more of the same. Fox just got rid of their 6:30 PM Simpsons slot for their own TMZ type show. Are we all “Waiting for Godot?”

  • Mava August 15, 2011, 9:33 pm

    Lets not be entirely trusting the governments. There are millions of ways to notify each-other if we were to set up our own “flash-mob”.

    This means that the social media are not really the cause.

    Why does then the government focuses so hard on social media?

    Because, they have their own idea of what social media/networking should be. From the government point of view, all the new technology should be there to track you, for the government.

    Example: Your Facebook has photo tagging. This is a feature where anyone can name the face on the photo, and that information goes into government database.

    You, may be privacy conscious, but you can not control everyone who knows you. Every time your face appears on the photo anywhere on facebook, users are being prompted to tag your face with your name. So, it doesn’t matter if you won’t do it, somebody will tag you.

    Once security cameras are set up in the cities, then it is a trivial matter of software and computing power to log in your name everytime your face appears anywhere on security cam.

    (some say that government already has your face, on driver license. That’s true, but for reliable recognition, multiple shots at various conditions need to be available, not just one yellow-red mug shot at DMV)

    Take a look at this example:
    The government wants every face to be tagged on this photo of a crowd in Canada. And guess what, there are enough idiots to do it, just turn of tag feature and zoom about half way to see completed tags.

    http://www.gigapixel.com/image/gigapan-canucks-g7.html

    This is why CIA secretly funds Google. Because google collects and maintains the database for them. BTW, take a look at this, if you don’t believe me:

    http://news.softpedia.com/news/Google-Admits-Handing-over-European-User-Data-to-US-Intelligence-Agencies-215740.shtml

    So, I think that the government of UK had organized these protests, in order to scare the people into allowing the government to entrench much deeper into new media / social networking.

  • Rich August 15, 2011, 9:11 pm
  • roger erickson August 15, 2011, 8:58 pm

    revealing article on weaponizing of HFT

    http://moslereconomics.com/2011/08/14/the-disruptor-algo/
    comments better than the article

    Don’t expect Dodd-Frank to fix this anytime soon.

  • Mava August 15, 2011, 8:21 pm

    Revolts? Riots? Revolutions?

    The real question is, do you know what is it you want to build after?

    Majority will demand the change, and will get it, only to realize they all want different things. Only small part of them wants to lead a honest life. Most of them actually only meant to change who is enslaved.

    This is why it pays to stock up on bullets.

    • Craig August 15, 2011, 8:57 pm

      The “other” precious metals……

  • Roger Erickson August 15, 2011, 6:48 pm
  • Jacques Redou August 15, 2011, 6:14 pm

    Look at the Contrast:

    British youth rioting, stealing, looting.

    Japanese pensioners volunteering to work
    at Fukushima. – http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-13598607

    • Rich August 15, 2011, 6:56 pm

      Perhaps this is why Japan’s 2010 GDP was #3 in the world @ $5.4 T, more than twice #6 UK @ $2.2 T…

    • Benjamin August 15, 2011, 11:11 pm

      I decided to do some poking around on the oft-mentioned observation that the Japanese do not loot, nor looted during their most recent crisis.

      http://natturnersghost.blogspot.com/

      You can also search YouTube for some footage. Which isn’t surprising. The Japanese, being human like the rest of us, are as capable of choosing barbarism as any people in the world. Except maybe the Bushman, in Africa. They allegedly don’t even have words for things like theft, murder, war etc, and the concepts are said to be foreign to them.

  • dennis August 15, 2011, 4:43 pm

    Hey Rick… I don’t necessarily disagree with anything you say, but just two observations to consider. (1) I believe the commercial you are referring to is not at all about ‘flash mobs’ in the sense you imply. It is about about ‘flash dancing’, where talented dancers put on a surprise show much to the delight of those watching on. If you were indeed implying that the commercial was somehow celebrating or trivializing flash mobs I think you got it wrong. These flash dances are quite the opposite, innocent and clever attempts to raise the spirit, create a sense of appreciation for artists/dancers, and use public spaces for some healthy comic relief. Secondly, while I am as apalled as anyone with the images out of the UK, I was especially intrigued by the one where the injured young man was tricked into thinking he was being helped, while someone liftted what looked like a computer out of his backpack . Ferral youth, for sure. But I also could not help thinking what a great metaphor for the ‘other half” who will never face water canons or prison cells — i.e., the ferral elite — bankers and politicians who work for them, pretending to help us all while robbing us blind. Who was imitating whom?

    • redwilldanaher August 15, 2011, 5:40 pm

      Great point on “…imitating whom?”, Dennis. I always think of the mafia vs. the oligarchy example. The difference is nominal.

  • Roger Erickson August 15, 2011, 4:29 pm

    UK Looters Say of Bankers: ‘They Set the Example’
    http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2011/08/10-9

    Reportedly, the Queen was shocked that commoners would want anything back, not to mention right to forage on crown lands. Nearly dropped her hat! Nothing like this has happened since those pesky Hindus wanted actual independence. Truly shocking.

  • Roger Erickson August 15, 2011, 4:27 pm

    hard to read this from afar, yet; biggest point is that the nanny state was entirely caught off-guard;

    “They may not have the last laugh, for they were referred to the Crown Court for sentence. The maximum penalty available at Highbury was six months. But most cases yesterday were referred to courts which can send you to prison for ten years.
    At Highbury, only a minority had no record. Many seemed to be career criminals. Most were teenagers or in their twenties, but a surprising number were older. Most interestingly of all, they were predominantly white, and many had jobs.”

    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/law-and-order/8694494/UK-riots-David-Cameron-condemns-sick-society-as-grammar-school-girl-in-court-over-riots.html

    • Benjamin August 15, 2011, 5:52 pm

      Head up, Roger…!

      http://www.spiked-online.com/index.php/site/issues/C257/

      http://www.numberwatch.co.uk/best_of_the_blogs.htm

      If you want to read about anything pertaining to Western culture in general and the UK in particular, Spiked is the place to go! As for the list of (mostly) UK bloggers, there’s plenty of commentary and links to other blogs and sources. There’s also the UK newspaper sites. So these events are anything but hard to watch from afar.

      “Most interestingly of all, they were predominantly white, and many had jobs.”

      Even if that were true, that doesn’t mean they aren’t of the entitlement class. Also consider that those out there doing any protecting of life and property are being smeared by the “blameless” and shameless classes as “white racist/facist mobs” (mostly white, arab/muslim, and asian).

      There is no doubt that the rioters are predominantly black; the riots were “sparked” after the Specialist Firearms Command shot dead 29 year old Mark Duggan. The SFC, by the way, are a special division of the London police which deal with gun crime committed by and on blacks (which only shows how (backwardly and overly) race sensitive England is).

      Not that I care what color the rioters are. I just find what you’re “implying” to be as disingenious as a suggestion that the L.A.P.D. and Rodney King had nothing to do with the “redneck riots” back in ’92…

    • roger erickson August 15, 2011, 8:56 pm

      thanks for the links, Ben

  • James August 15, 2011, 4:26 pm

    I was particularly struck ( or put off by) by an interview that is circulating in the media that was done with one of the rioters.

    In it he says, and I paraphrase,” We do it for the money, it’s all about money, and we’ll keep on doing it, unless we get something from the government.”

    That’s why they’re called ‘entitlements”

  • fallingman August 15, 2011, 3:53 pm

    On another subject, couldn’t help but notice that Ron Paul effectively tied with Michelle Bachman in the Iowa straw poll results…falling just 152 votes shy of her total…less than 1% difference… and yet he was barely mentioned, let alone invited to be interviewed, on any of the Sunday programs. Bachman had several lengthy interviews.

    As expected.

    • Craig August 15, 2011, 4:08 pm

      That is because Ron Paul is real and only Globalist like Rick Perry (Al Gore’s Former Chief of Staff) and Newt that want one world government are glorified. Anti-globalists like Ron and Rand Paul are “unelectable” as the media says and thats all they have on them. Fox news gets caught dubbing boos (over a standing ovation, they “blamed it on an intern” even thou they asked R. Paul what it was like being booed by the crowd right after the poll, he said he wasnt there he didnt know anything about it) as Ron Paul is announced as the straw poll winner at CPAC for the second year in a row this time by a landslide…..it used to be a big deal that the winner of that poll was the front runner and probable President…unless they are not a globalist then it is a insignificant and unreliable poll…..

    • Carol August 15, 2011, 4:24 pm

      I think it was Hitler who said “the ones who count the votes are the only ones that count” or something like that. Since when did any one here (or anywhere who is awake) believe that someone like Ron Paul could EVER be elected? Not because he is not “electable” but because the Masters of the Universe would NEVER allow that to happen.

      When are you people ever going to realize that the system in place has been in place for a very long time and will NOT be upset. Too much power at the controls for too long; learn to love your servitude 🙁

    • Craig August 15, 2011, 4:39 pm

      Well Ron Paul has said he knows his life is in danger if he gets too close to being President….he openly talks about his opposition to the plans for One World Gov and One World Bank and One World Currency on the floor of congress.

    • fallingman August 15, 2011, 5:02 pm

      “When are you people going to realize?…”

      You people?

      We ALL realize it sweetheart. I’m just morbidly interested in documenting the blatant nature of the media blackout. So sue me if you don’t like it.

    • Carol August 15, 2011, 5:26 pm

      Fallingman, sorry if my statement does not apply to you. I meant by “you people” those who think they can vote for a new master and that new master is going to change anything. Read what I said not what you think I said.

    • Rich August 15, 2011, 6:46 pm
  • Resolute August 15, 2011, 3:48 pm

    The law, in its majestic equality, forbids the rich as well as the poor to sleep under bridges, to beg in the streets, and to steal bread. Anatole France

  • rico August 15, 2011, 2:30 pm

    Now if the yobs, louts and hooligans would only turn their attention to the homes of banksters and pols something good might come of all this

  • mario cavolo August 15, 2011, 7:43 am

    Its been said more money makes you more of who you are. Now we can the same about tweets.

    Things of life, like money and tweets are tools and vehicles that help us to express and become more of what we want to express and become. They reveal who we are.

    Hooligans and all other manner of bad people can use them effectively for bad purposes as easy as any one else. New progress, technology- driven or otherwise always brings bad along with the good, two sides to the coin of life no matter how it manifests in society.

    Cheers, Mario

    • charles August 15, 2011, 12:35 pm

      Agreed. There’s always the ying and the yang to everything in this existence. Such does the universe seek balance.

  • Steve August 15, 2011, 7:42 am

    AP headline.
    Cameron: Riot-hit UK must reverse ‘moral collapse’

    Cameron could not be more correct about ‘moral collapse’ both here within this mobocracy, and under Cameron’s monarchy. However, the ‘moral collapse’ in this country rests in Obama, Reid, McConnel, Boehner, and the whole mob of corporate america Commerce Clause slavers via the person of corporatizm. Never forget Obamacare is Commerce Clause, as is every other internal matter of the current democracy prosecuted federally (I’ll give you faking money with secret service as 1 exception)

    Mit, that lib from Mass, hit the nail on the head when he said a corporation is a person too. Equal. That is, a legislatively created artificial entity called a corporation is now equal to the former Sovereigns in Common who’s authority/endowments allowed/created a highly limited Repbulican governmental form (no democracy allowed, see; Federalist Paper #46).

    Weez uz all da same now, all pursons subjet to the congruss democracy. Mit knows, but; is so corrupt as to not care about fixing the moral decline of goverment which sets the example for the young. What do we expect from the young when the person(s) of the federal government stink, and the whole barrel is rotten to the core in abuse of power!

    Why shouldn’t the low and down get some by criminality – certainly Cameron is a criminal, a thief, and worse as a murderer for oil and power. Moral Collapse – geeze louise – the government is the definition of moral collapse.

    If anyone listened to Ron Paul, you know what your own govermental form is in regard to foreign abuses. Want to talk stock market, you got it – a fine example for the young. Bankers don’t get prosecuted and steal, why not the young?

    • Benjamin August 15, 2011, 2:53 pm

      “Bankers don’t get prosecuted and steal, why not the young?”

      And why should the cops be… cops?! They hardly did anything when these hoods demonstrated how much moral fiber remains in England. Heck, the more frequently things like this occur, the more overtime they get paid, right?

      http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-14461868?ref=nf

      Apparently, Sony never heard of security. Could it be that they’d rather the insurance pay for it all, rather than let Da Stuff sit in one of their warehouses in this tanked economy?

      The only ones doing anything about the riots are the only ones that have no choice but to have both the blame and burden put on them. But the police wave their batons at them and tell them to “stop infering in things… you’re diverting critical police resources!”. And the media and politicians are of course more interested in calling the good citizens “racist thugs” than even so much as turn a critical eye on themselves (let alone expressing any doubt in their decades-long campaign of moral and value destruction; let alone DOING anything about it!).

      All of this is to say that England has gone into the hole, and won’t be emerging for a good long while. But hey, at least that can’t happen here!

    • Benjamin August 15, 2011, 3:19 pm

      I forgot one other group of beneficiaries…

      The network service/device providers themselves. Any talk of a nation-wide shut-down is met with the derisive laughter that “you can’t stop the internet!” (just like that “great wizard” in a hot-air ballon).

      Which is just pure bullshit. When a consumer doesn’t pay their bill, what happens? They get cut off. And if that kind of pin-point accuracy can be managed for one person, it can be done for a whole country that finds itself in grave civil unrest.

      But they let the show go on, thus re-enforcing the idea that their technologies and innovations are immortal gods, with minds and plans of their own. No wonder the rioters went for tech gadgets. To them, it’s something that neither can nor should be shut down. To them, it’s unlimited power.

      And again, the unlimited power they can snatch up, the more insurance will pay for what wasn’t going to be paid for anyway. Everyone wins, except those who have everything to lose.

  • Anthony F August 15, 2011, 4:15 am

    Great insight by RA on the S&P 1227 target.
    Futures and EURO showing signs of a possible breakout over 1286 on the S&P Futures.
    It may be triggered after the German Market opens (DAX) at 3 AM ET, or 12 AM PT.

    If that happens, When the USA market opens at 9:30 AM an attempt will be made to close the up gap, the S&P futures should find support at at the breakout (around 1286) then move higher.

    Interesting play.

    • Anthony F August 15, 2011, 2:53 pm

      La vie dangereaux for the bulls at the moment…
      The Dax made 3-4 attempts to breakout after 3 AM,
      while The EURO was sailing upstream the Bears instead managed to close the up-gap and now there is even more resistance for higher prices.
      The S&P had the same fate… The Bears have sharp teeth at the moment, things have really changed from the easy ride the bulls used to have.
      I would think the only things the bulls have left is some stronger concerted strategy from world central banks, and even then there is no assurance.
      The vie dangereaux for traders as well.
      Traditional indicators, bands, Mcds etc are working well in this environment.

      &&&&&

      Anthony, I agree that even with a global tide of funny money pushing stocks higher, DaBoyz are finding it increasingly difficult to gain yardage — not only during the day, but at times when it is easiest to rig a short squeeze: on nights and Sundays. RA

  • Benjamin August 15, 2011, 3:11 am

    I don’t suspect these riots will disrupt the delivery of welfare checks. Even so, what do they matter, when you’ve got gangs of feral kids that’ll just take what they want anyway? Twisted irony… Since the cretins don’t need the welfare anymore, UK taxpayers could finally receive a much needed break, for a change!

  • Craig August 15, 2011, 3:06 am

    Rick, this is all dog training…for the police state…please watch this 1 minute 23 seconds of your time.

    http://www.infowars.com/new-footage-of-tower-7-blasted-into-rubble/

    • Mava August 15, 2011, 5:34 pm

      Craig,

      Unfortunately, it looks like at this point, those deciding to support the terrorists (the government), are going to continue to extend their support no matter what evidence is shown.

      I realize this over a discussion with a government supporter, who believes this needs to be supported in order to save the institutions of government secrecy and executive orders.

      He believes that if we were to acknowledge what had happened on 9/11, the these two major “venues” of government will be forever banned.

      He’s right, I don’t believe the government should have those two at it’s disposal, but if never spoke, he would look just like the others who “just support” the coincidence theory no matter what.

    • Craig August 15, 2011, 6:04 pm

      You can’t even get people to look at 1 minute and 23 seconds of OVERWHELMING evidence of the conspiracy against humanity. The troops killing innocents all over the world for global control by stealth. You beg people and they don’t have lesss then 2 minutes to spare to see that the biggest event that is blamed on every part of our freedom and taken away along with our dollars being melted away doesn’t even get 2 minutes of time…they will spen 20 minutes (like Rick) explaining why Build #1 or #2 or the pentegon by some experts opinion blah blah blah….but wont spend 2 minutes seeing the smoking gun…the third tower that fell that day at 5 pm at free fall speed that proves it was all a hoax..Building #7 is the Issue that is being used to take all of our freedos and wealth yet no one even cares to look for 2 minutes…..mostly because if they cna live in denial and never look they can never say they didn’t do anything because “they didn’t know” lazy american excuse for everything.

    • warren August 15, 2011, 6:32 pm

      Craig, it isn’t just American, it’s global. And I watched for a minute +23. I also watched for 7+, the Star Trek episode. Ain’t the Fed wonderful.
      Try reading “The Creature from Jekyll Island” by G. Edward Griffin. In my humble opinion, a real eye opener.

    • Rich August 15, 2011, 6:44 pm
    • Mava August 15, 2011, 8:15 pm

      Craig,

      Yes. Thing is, our empire needs this. You can either go honest and hardworking or you can say that “Arabs” did this and have a nice life.

  • charles August 15, 2011, 2:24 am

    Somehow there must be a way to slow the timing of these flash messages. Can’t there be a way to delay the time between when the message is sent and when it is received by the thousands in waiting? Seriously! A cooling off period, if you will. I don’t use social messaging so I don’t have a clue how it works.

    • Benjamin August 15, 2011, 3:20 am

      I don’t think that would have any impact, charles. If anything, the rioters-in-waiting would only become greedier from the longer wait.

      They should shut them down altogether. The way kids are anymore, they wouldn’t have the slightest clue as to how to organize without their twitters and spacefaces etc. They’d be reduced to little more than throwing tantrums.

  • martin snell August 15, 2011, 1:16 am

    In the UK it is hard to go anywhere without being tracked by CCTV – so yes the revolution will be televised. The next few weeks the bobbies will be knocking on doors to pull in the looters.

    The UK is the quintessential big brother society.

    • John Jay August 15, 2011, 2:48 pm

      martin snell,
      “The UK is the quintessential big brother society.”
      Boy, is it ever. Complete with police raids on safe deposit box buildings, where everything in the boxes is declared the product of criminal activity and siezed by the state, with no proof offered, just bold force.
      That could be on its way here before too long. The right to do just that is already in the Patriot Act, I believe. Just need the right crisis to provide cover.

    • mario cavolo August 16, 2011, 4:43 am

      Asia too…cameras everywhere.

      Meanwhile, in Scottsdale the govt/police actually removed the traffic speeder cameras from the 101 freeway because of the citizen’s uproar…good grief. And when a slum neighborhood in Chicago wanted to install metal detectors to protect itself against gun-wielding gangs, the ACLU steps in (nobody part of the ACLU lives there by the way) and says no no you can’t its a violation of civil rights….mmm America.

  • SD1 August 15, 2011, 12:10 am

    It is one thing to demonstrate and another to run roughshod over innocent and hard working people’s shops. Throw the rioters in jail and if the jails are full, internment camps. This is not about people being hungry. It’s about a bunch of free loading hooligans who should have their sorry asses incarcerated.