In the weeks following the riots that spread across the country in August, there was a great deal of debate concerning what role social media websites played in the escalation of events. Now, a poll has found that more than two-thirds of adults would support a social media blackout if the events of August were to be repeated.

It’s an interesting insight into older generations’ attitudes to social media, but unfortunately it is not a conclusive one. The poll, carried out by online security firm Unisys, only asked 973 adults, 70 per cent of which supported  a shutdown of services like Facebook, Twitter and Blackberry Messenger.

Three-quarters of those polled also felt comfortable with the idea of governments “having open access to data on social network users to prevent co-ordinated crime”.

Such measures could be considered draconian if the Guardian‘s extensive analysis of 2.5 million tweets concerning the riots is to be believed. The paper – in partnership with the London School of Economics – discovered that there was little evidence linking the use of Twitter to the organisation of riot activities.

Padraig Kennedy, news editor at the Index on Censorship, also defends the use of social networking in times of chaos, as experienced in August. People were using services to “spread information and help each other get home safely”. He also warns: “As we live more of our lives online, people should be conscious of the amount of power they’re potentially handing over to government.”

(Source: MediaGuardian)

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