Media as International Actor

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Social media amplify drug cartel violence

By Victoria White

Mexican drug cartels have certainly done their part in intimidating journalists. Some journalists have even been killed. Because of this, many Mexican citizens have had to rely on social media to get their daily dose of cartel updates. Little did they know, blog posts and other media updates would soon become weapons of hate. What this means is that media incited aggression and violence and, in this case, intensified the violence that was already occurring. People ended up amplifying and assisting in what the cartels wanted – a violent uproar.

When the drug lords found out about social media outlets providing unlimited information about their whereabouts, they took action. In an effort to stop the spread of news about the cartels via social media, the mangled bodies of a young man and woman were hung from a highway bridge in Nuevo Laredo along with a sign that read: “This is what happens to people who post funny things on the Internet. Pay attention.” It is clear to see how social media created an opportunity for drug cartels to become even more violent than they were before and thus media was used – unknowingly – as a weapon of hate.