Social media and protest

Thanks mainly to social media, the situation in Ferguson, Mo. nearly spiraled out of control last week.   Images of a highly militarized police and their reaction to a seemingly justified protest of the death of an unarmed black teenager fanned the flames.  Looters took advantage of the situation and outside agitators were drawn to the chaos, but the use of cellphone videos and twitter allowed a much more nuanced view of the rioting than the mainstream media and the police would have had us believe.  In an era where anyone with a smart phone is a reporter and recorder of real time images it has become much harder for the authorities to whitewash what was essentially criminal behavior by police.  While it may contribute to racial polarization, it also gives both sides images and information which may change minds regarding what life is like in America's ghettoes, circa 2014.   Policy makers especially must take heed.  If Ferguson is a microcosm of this situation, we can expect more of the same later this year if the economy continues to leave large swaths of the population behind.