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The use of social media was applauded during the so-called Arab Spring riots and revolutions for democracy that took place earlier this year. After the English riots, there were calls to disable social media access if similar uprisings were to ever occur again – calls which alarmed technology media all over the world.

How did the riots spread across England so quickly?

In the days that followed the death of Mark Duggan, riots and looting spread across multiple London boroughs and the rest of England – reaching Liverpool, Manchester, Bristol and Birmingham. By the start of the following week, police across the country managed to restore order.

The finger was quickly pointed at Twitter and Facebook, two of the biggest social networks currently in the public domain.

If it wasn't Twitter, who was it?

However, it quickly became clear that another service could be to blame; Blackberry Messenger (BBM); an encrypted (i.e. private) social network found on Blackberry handsets, was apparently being used to arrange the riots. BBM is able to message groups of contacts – vastly increasing its ability to spread messages in a quick and viral nature.

At this year's South by South West (SXSW) technology and music festival, group messaging applications were the social platforms getting the most buzz. Group messaging apps allow users to share data like text and photo updates, their location and SMS updates to contacts without smartphones.

The rise in popularity of group messaging has continued as 2011 has progressed. OS-integrated services like Apple's iMessage (coming to market with iOS5) – with a similar native apps like Facebook Messenger (based on Beluga, a company acquired by FB back in March) coming from Mark Zuckerberg and co are striving to compete with previously uncontested BBM.

If we are to see a rise in the number of group messaging and social services coming to market, will we see a rise in the number of occasions where these services are used for ill rather than good? If so, the British Government sees no reason why they can't shut down social media sites and call in MI5 to crack any encrypted data.

The web is moving towards a more social future, and its users moving towards 24/7 connectedness via mobile devices. Will Western governments echo those of, say, Egypt or China who block access or simply shut the internet down if they don't like how its being used or what's being said? It's surely a painful thought to consider – but one we may have to in the near future...

What do you think about group messenger applications and social networks being used for ill? Will they be the death of free speech on the internet? Let us know via email, Twitter or in the comments below.