We spent a lot of time in class talking about social media, like facebook, twitter, tumblr- how they keep us connected and involved in the lives of people around us. But does social media have an impact on violent crime in any way? We know facebook can make groups, and twitter you can tag anyone in it that you need to, so long as it's under 160 characters, and no one has to know what you're planning or talking about, depending on the privacy of whatever site and account you're using. Could these be too-helpful aids in planning violent crimes?

Here's an example: during the Riots in England this year, the British government threatened to track all suspicious tweets, even text messages- does this mean the riots were being planned online? No, not necessarily, but social media sites could have been a part of it, absolutely.

What do you think? Are social media sites catalysts to violent crime? Could they be? Do you know any times where they definitely have been?