Social Networking and England Riots - We didn't start the Fire, it was always burning

We didn't start the fire

It was always burning

Since the world's been turning

We didn't start the fire

No we didn't light it

But we tried to fight it

Excerpt from the Billy Joel song We Didn't start the Fire

The smell of “unfair” and “injustice” permeates the now currently ongoing London Riots that was started mostly by Millennial [ages 18 to 28] on Saturday August 6^th 2011AD as stated in the article “London riots: 'Not enough Met officers on duty”, published 12 August 2011 01:39 GMT, BBC News. I say this as many of youth involved probably never even knew twenty nine (29) year old Mark Duggan from Tottenham in the northern part of London who was shot by the Metropolitan Police, apparently in a perceived extrajudicial killing.

Instead, it appears that these disenchanted youth are hooligans organized via Social Networking i.e. Facebook and Twitter and Blackberry Messenger as stated in the article “London’s burning, and BlackBerry’s in the firing line”, published August 8, 2011, 8:24am PT By Bobbie Johnson, GigaOM.

As was the case with the riots that toppled Egypt’s Mubarak as stated in my blog article entitled “Libyan Freedom, Oil Prices and alternative Energy - The Pelican Brief”. Amusingly, it gives credibility to the fears that Saudi Arabia and India had about Blackberry being able to organize terrorists as stated in my blog article entitled “BlackBerry and India - Shiva the Destroyer”.

It is also with a somber note that I do this analysis, as along with this latest news, I have now learned that Chelsea Ives, eighteen (18) the British athlete who is one of many London Olympics 2012 ambassadors, was involved.

This as it was her mother, forty seven (47) year old Adrienne Ives who reported her to the police after she saw her daughter on BBC involved in an attack on the police vehicle in Enfield as stated in the article “London riots: the 2012 Olympics ambassador turned in by her mother”, published 12 August 2011 6:30AM BST by Tom Whitehead, Home Affairs Editor, The Telegraph and the article “Olympics girl is London 'riot yob'”, Published 11 August 2011 By HARRY HAYDON, The Sun.

It was that story of this eighteen (18) year old that caught my eye as she allegedly led attacks on mobile phone stores Vodafone and Phone4U as stated in the article “London Olympics girl reported by parents after seeing TV riot”, published Friday 12 August 2011 by David Batty, The Guardian. 

Chelsea Ives, despite her youth, is someone of significance to the London Olympics 2012 slated for July 27^th 2012AD as she is not only an Olympics Ambassador, but has also met with London Mayor Boris Johnson and London Olympics Chief Sebastian Coe and stopped by the House of Commons for spot of tea (sorry, couldn’t resist!)

I must admit, as these past six (6) days I have been oblivious to any News not Tech related. But this analysis technically falls under Social Networking, about which I have several articles tracking developments that are connected to me.

So sensitive have the riots become, that the BBC which originally reported them as UK (United Kingdom) Riots as stated in the article “UK riots: Trouble erupts in English cities”, published 10 August 2011 last updated at 09:20 GMT, BBC News, had to stop doing so.

This was in order to avoid offending Scottish and Welsh viewers, who are a part of the UK as stated in the article “BBC orders staff to refer to 'English' riots to avoid offending Scots, Welsh and Northern Irish”, published 11th August 2011 at 3:46 PM By DAILY MAIL REPORTER, Daily Mail.

This as, really, it is mostly centered in and about London and spreading rapidly. And it is not Racially motivated, but merely the work of disenchanted Millennials.

Coincidentally, the date on which the London Riots occurred coincides with Jamaica Emancipation Day, which is on Saturday August 6^th 2011AD. I wish I could crack jokes about the Brits wanting to join us and celebrating the end of British rule, but jokes of that nature are inflammatory and not funny.

But the similarities to the uprising in Egypt are stark and frightening, as Social Media played a very big part in fanning the smoldering flames of dislike for Authority in both countries as stated in the article “Network effects: Social media’s role in the London riots”, published August 8, 2011, 10:01am PT By Mathew Ingram, GigaOM. Blackberry’s are also taking some of the heat for helping to organize the London rioters as stated in the article “London’s burning, and BlackBerry’s in the firing line”, published August 8, 2011, 8:24am PT By Bobbie Johnson, GigaOM.

This as Social Media didn’t start the fire, Billy Joel Style. It was merely a catalyst and it was always burning since the World’s been turning, as the pungent smell of Revolution darkens the London Skies.

Social Media’s ability to rapidly inform people of happenings and organize people was again on display with the death of Osama bin Laden on Friday May 6^th 2011AD being known a full hour before US President Barack Obama made it public a startling example as stated in my blog article entitled “Barack Obama beat by Twitter - Cross-Angry Tigerbone Simone Baby Genius”.

This like Egypt, Britain Prime Minister David Cameron is planning to ban Social Media, knowing like Egypt’s deposed President Hosne Mubarak, the power Social Media tools have to organize people on the ground in real time as stated in the article “Blaming the tools: Britain proposes a social-media ban”, published August 11, 2011, 10:00am PT By Mathew Ingram, GigaOM.

This is now a second demonstration of the power of Social Media to organize people. Banning Social Media, did not work in Egypt and will not work in Britain, a more civilized Society. The problems with the British now facing the possibility of a worsening of the Global Economy and having to ensure more hardships due to a possible Second Recession as stated in my blog article entitled “EU, USA and the Second Recession - Economist Dennis Chung's Andromeda and The Long Night”. 

These are the main reasons why a simple protest over an unfair extrajudicial killing sparked a Riot led by young hooligans organized via Facebook and Twitter and Blackberry Messenger, mostly Millennials [ages 18 to 28] who had pent up frustrations about their gradually worsening future.