What we think » Social Media brings communities together during the London riots

In a defiant stand against the London riots (#londonriots) ordinary people showed their support for neighbours, community members and other Londoners by using twitter to mobilise groups of people and co-ordinate a clean-up of the areas affected by looting. The aptly named twitter handle @Riotcleanup built an 80,000-strong following literally overnight; reaching out to those in need and encouraging people to donate funds or volunteer to help clean-up the streets. This is indeed a stark contrast to the suggestion that social media was used to start the riots.

Using the Riotcleanup hashtag (replicating their twitter name) twitterers were able find out information about how to get involved in the clean-up operation – where to meet, what to bring and what needed to be done. The #Riotcleanup team, which included high profile celebrities such as Lord Sugar, Kate Nash and Kaiser Chiefs, have helped people in Clapham, Tottenham, Hackney, Nottingham, Birmingham, Manchester and Wolverhampton salvage what’s left of their small businesses. As #Riotcleanup remains a trending topic (most frequently used term) on twitter, I expect the number of volunteers and words of support to continue to rise, proving that social media can be used to mobilise people around a good cause.

But it didn’t stop there. For those unable to join the clean-up efforts, support was offered in other forms such as free services for “family portraits for anyone who lost all their photographs in the riots”, nappies for Tottenham shelter, “chance to win a free boohoo.com bag”, “shop or home that has been affected my handymen will volunteer in our spare time to help with any repairs” among many others.

While @Riotcleanup has been an integral part in bringing communities together, Facebook is also being used as a medium for those near and far to show their support for the anti-riot movement. Pages such as Supporting the Met Police against the London rioters attracted 990,000 fans and the Operation Cup of Tea event, received over 10,000 attendees.

This user-driven activity has been mirrored by the Metropolitan Police who are using their flickr channel to post images of offenders they’re looking to track down. So far this channel has received around 350,000 views which is significant given that previous views averaged around 13,000. But what is really interesting and heartening is society’s interest and passion in working with the authorities to tackle these criminal acts.

Civic journalism increased massively as ordinary people reported reports directly from the epicentre, helping to refute rumours and confirm stories/accounts.  Major news publishers relied on these reports to ensure their coverage was accurate and timely given their unpredictability.

The use of social media as a communication and engagement platform kept people informed of hotspot areas, mobilised those keen to help, engaged those affected, connected citizens with victims, and enabled people to share their experiences from the front-line. Social media allowed communities to be stronger together, and that was the ultimate triumph!

Michelle Lyon

Michelle Lyons is Social Media Manager,  MEC International

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