Understandably, you may think that social media sites like Facebook and Twitter are only used as means of socialization. All over the world, however, they are used in ways that we as New Yorkers have not and may never experienced. In Egypt, for example, social media sites were used to rally people together to protest against their government. But in Mexico, these seemingly humdrum social medias form a critical barrier between life and death.
In late September, outside of Veracruz, Mexico, gunmen dumped 35 bodies in an underpass during rush hour. Before reporters had even arrived, Twitter was buzzing with fear from the surrounding areas. People tweeted warnings to be on the lookout for these gunmen and even gave the location of the crime.
“Avoid Plaza Las Américas,” several people tweeted.
“There are gunmen,” others wrote, “They’re not soldiers nor marines. Their faces are masked.”
The system of spreading valuable information via social media sites has become common in Mexico over the past year, but it has not been smiled upon. On the same day that Twitter exploded with tweets about the 35 bodies, the state assembly of Veracruz made it a crime to use social networks to weaken public order. Although no other laws like this currently exist in Mexico, it’s not likely that Veracruz will stand alone for very long. Tabasco is also considering a similar law, and public officials all around Mexico are not happy with the use of technology in spreading rumors.
These ostensibly harmless websites like Twitter and Facebook are turning out to be quite destructive. Just last month, two people in Veracruz were charged with terrorism and sabotage after tweeting an apparently false rumor. They could have faced up to 30 years in prison. The good news for the accused is that charges have been dropped. But the law still remains.
In Mexico, social networking fills in what reporters leave out. The information left out by these reporters needs to be heard by residents in Mexico in some way because it is often necessary for their survival. Many people living in Mexico say that they trust Twitter more than local news; the older generation of Mexicans are beginning to learn from the younger generation about how to use these sites for their own safety.
All over Mexico, websites like Facebook and Twitter are a necessity. Social networking sites are not just used for socializing anymore. Every day, people’s lives are jeopardized, and the only way to keep them safe is through the spread of helpful information that is not always available to them. Here in the US, we think of Facebook as a computerized past-time which we use to our own leisure; but all over Mexico, people are using the websites to unite themselves and expose the truth, potentially saving lives.
Watch the video below to explore the serious consequences of social networking in Mexico.