Watch what you tweet…
The Game is going may be charged. Again.
The popular West Coast rhyme-smith isn’t in trouble for any myriad of stereotypical offenses we have almost come to expect from our generation of Musically Gifted. Not for assault, not for weapons, not for relieving himself in public.
He is in trouble for tweeting.
In all fairness, he didn’t tweet about the weather, or what 5-star restaurant he was having cracked crab at. Authorities allege that he incited a “telephone flash mob” by tweeting his half a million Twitter followers to tie up the local Sheriff’s department switchlines with phone calls. He told them to call and ask for an internship.
In the time, the Sheriff’s department contends, people with serious issues had difficulty reaching emergency services.
Serious charges, no doubt. Game took the tried and true method of fighting computer and phone based allegations. He says he was hacked.
Blessing or Curse?
As recent developments in the Middle East and London show, cell phones are becoming tools of motivation and destruction. More people have them, and more and more people are tethering their need for round-the-clock information from them. Even people without data plans can plug into Facebook and Twitter via text messages, and niche messaging programs like BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) have faithful followings.
BBM was (unfairly, in my opinion) blamed for helping propagate the recent unrest in London, along with Twitter and texting. In Egypt, cell-based technology was crucial in mobilizing grassroot support that toppled an entire government. But what happens when it becomes too powerful?
Bay Area Transit System blocked cellular communication to counter rumors of a protest that was being planned following a shooting by a BART police officer. BART officials say blocking ALL cellular traffic at particular stations was necessary to ensure the safety of employees and customers.
A Question for the Church
This brings up a couple of questions. Where do we draw the line? When do we step in? And, probably most importantly, how much should authorities actually interfere?
It is an interesting juncture, and comes at a time when there is a heavy push to engage cell-based technology in the Church. When looked at from the perspective of a VERY powerful device, the importance of responsible leverage cannot be understated.
How should the Church use cell-based technology with regards to social initiatives?
Brandon Rowe says
They could send txt messages for a community event or something.