January 6th Capitol Riots

 Question: How did smartphone use aid in sharing resources and information among protestors, such as maps or legal advice, before and during the events? 

A mob of Trump supporters invaded the United States Capitol Building in Washington, D.C., in the early afternoon of Wednesday, January 6, 2021, two months after Trump's defeat in the 2020 presidential election. 

The role of smartphone during the tragedy:

• It enables the rioters to get the updated news about what will happen during the day. 
• By using smartphone, the rioters are able to communicate and share information with each other. They are able to discuss their plan (where to gather together, what they will do). For example; the Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers are able to communicate within their community through smartphone. 
• Smartphone are also used to record the incident that can be done through social media live, or the may also spread throughout the social media such as Twitter (now known as X), Instagram, or YouTube in order to show to the world about what's happening and to prove that they were there during the incident happening. 
• Donald Trump used smartphone to update news (tweet) through Twitter that gain his supporters attention that starts all of these incident happened. 
• The police officers can use smartphone to track the protesters since most of the protesters will update everything to the social media which makes it easier for the police officers to find the protesters especially those who already get into the United States Capitol Building which is the place where the politicians works or the capital government office. 
• Trump uses smartphone to tell his supporters to go home and slowly ends up the incident when he is the one who actually starts everything. 
• Smartphone enables people around the world to update about what's happening on the other part of the world, it also enables them to keep updating about the global issues which this relates with Uses & Gratification theory by Blumler and Katz specifically social relation for those who are also Trump's supporters and surveillance for those who want to keep up with the updating news. 

Resources: 

- https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/january-6-capitol-riot 

- https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-56004916 

- https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2022/01/04/a-look-back-at-americans-reactions-to-the-jan-6-riot-at-the-u-s-capitol/