Also,
regarding Twitter:
On April 10, 2008, James Buck, a graduate journalism student at University of California, Berkeley, and his translator, Mohammed Maree, were arrested in Egypt for photographing an anti-government protest. On his way to the police station Buck used his mobile phone to send the message “Arrested” to his 48 "followers" on Twitter. Those followers contacted U.C. Berkeley, the U.S. Embassy in Cairo, and a number of press organizations on his behalf. Buck was able to send updates about his condition to his "followers" while being detained. He was released the next day from the Mahalla jail after the college hired a lawyer for him.(
CNN)
Research reported in
New Scientist in May 2008 found that blogs, maps, photo sites and instant messaging systems like Twitter did a better job of getting information out during emergencies, such as the shootings at Virginia Tech, than either the traditional news media or government emergency services. The study, performed by researchers at the University of Colorado, also found that those using Twitter during the fires in California in October 2007 kept their followers (who were often friends and neighbors) informed of their whereabouts and of the location of various fires minute by minute. Organizations that support relief efforts are also using Twitter. The American Red Cross uses Twitter to exchange minute-to-minute information about local disasters, including statistics and directions. (
The Daily Telegraph)
...
During the 2008 Mumbai attacks, eyewitnesses sent an estimated 80 tweets every five seconds as the tragedy unfolded. Twitter users on the ground helped in compiling a list of the dead and injured. In addition, users sent out vital information such as emergency phone numbers and the location of hospitals that needed blood donations. (
CNN)
...
On 7 April 2009, thousands of young anti-communist protesters stormed the presidency and the parliament building in Chişinău, the capital of Moldova, accusing the government of electoral fraud. Information about these events was disseminated widely and on a minute to minute basis through Twitter. To make the information easier to find, the hashtag #pman was used (Piaţa Marii Adunări Naţionale is the name of the central square in Chişinău). (
NYT)
Plus, the impact of Twitter during the current Iranian election crisis is undeniable, as it's literally one of the only forms of mass media that the Iranian government
hasn't managed to shut down entirely (largely because of numerous people outside Iran setting up fake Twitter accounts to mislead the Iranian government and keep them from being able to track down and arrest those responsible), and close to the only nationwide means of the protesters to be able to gather and organize themselves. It's a means of communicating with large numbers of people easily and efficiently, in a way that can't easily be shut down - the impact of such a communication means, especially in dictatorial or repressive governments, is impossible to ignore.
Really, at this point, I have to say that being anti-social networking as a general concept (as opposed to just not personally participating) is nothing more than being mired in the mud culturally. It's no offense to you, BW, since I can imagine you haven't looked into it that much, but you're throwing the baby out with the bathwater when you say the entire concept as a whole is pointless. Even grudgingly accepting it I'd say is too stodgy with how much good it's done.