Over the past 3 plus years, we’ve seen Twitter embraced by a variety of different communities — think big brands, small businesses, PR and marketing types, media outlets, journalists, moms, and public service agencies. Most of us know, however, that for every positive Twitter use case there’s one that’s just as negative.

There have already been stories of burglars hip to Twitter who rob unwitting victims that have tweeted their whereabouts, and now the New York Daily News is reporting that street gangs in New York have found both a tailored purpose and practice for the micro medium.

The profile piece highlights how gang members, ambivalent to the fact that their tweets may be watched, are not only using Twitter to purposefully and openly stir the pot with rival gangs, but are also using it to coordinate fights. These Twitterers attempt to avoid detection by using street lingo, but their activities are constantly being monitored by police and investigators.

The story follows a recent incident where, according to the piece, “a boy shot in the leg … may have been targeted because of a battle the Original Young Gangsters crew started on Twitter.” As mentioned, Manhattan police are aware of the gang members’ activities and are keeping a vigilant eye on Twitter in the hopes of finding evidence or preventing brawls. There have even been Twitter success stories, but just as gang members have adapted to a new medium, we’d expect them to adapt to the surveillance measures as well.

If anything, this story serves as a reminder of how powerful real-time communication is and that it can be used by both heroes and villains.

Image courtesy of iStockphoto, johnandersonphoto.

Tags: twitter

Read more from the original source: 
Twitter Tagged by Gang Members in New York