They are well-meaning people who have not considered the moral weight of what they’re doing.* This is vigilantism, and it’s only the illusion that what we do online is not as significant as what we do offline that allows this to go on. Imagine if people were standing around in Boston pointing fingers at people in photographs and (roughly) accusing them of terrorism…

Investigating these bombings is just not a job for “the crowd,” even if technology makes such collaboration possible. Even if we were to admit that Reddit was “more efficient” in processing the influx of media around the bombing, which would be a completely baseless speculation/stretch/defense, it still wouldn’t make sense to create a lawless space in which self-appointed citizens decide which other citizens have committed crimes. This would be at the top of any BuzzFeed list of the tried-and-true lessons of modern civilization. We have a legal system for a reason.

from “Hey Reddit, Enough Boston Bombing Vigilantism” by Alexis Madrigal, senior editor at The Atlantic, where he oversees the Technology channel.

On a related note, I’m trying to figure out how to incorporate this and related items into my page on folklore, rumors and urban myths interfering with development and aid/relief efforts, and government initiatives.

Social media is such a great thing… until it’s not.