A timely antidote to some of the bad press that came the way of social media in the wake of the UK?s August rioting has emerged across the pond in the USA. Services such as Facebook and Twitter were used by some of the rioters to co-ordinate their activities, and were vilified in some quarters as a result. Gangs are now being tracked using their social media activities, with incriminating comments being used as evidence against them.</p> <p>Social Media Addiction<br /> It seems that some gangs echo the general population?s compulsive use of social media services, with any comments centering on criminal activity being picked up by the police. Given that mobile phones and other internet ready devices are banned in most jails, the inmate who updated his Facebook page saying, ?life sucks right now?, whilst serving a stretch is now likely to spend a little more time than he bargained for inside.</p> <p>The Smoking Gun<br /> Although the police are monitoring the social networking activities of certain people, there is a wider message for the rest of us. The previously mentioned posters are a classic example of people who have got themselves into trouble via social media. Although in these cases, the trouble has been with the law, many people have landed themselves in hot water with employers or other parties with their posts or photographs. Many companies have now employed social media policies, which are not designed to act like Big Brother, but are to protect the interests of their company.<br />