Ferguson Information Cascade

We all know that a massive distrust of police has begun to erupt in recent times. We’ve all seen the videos of young people testing the power and authority of police forces, and subsequently posting them on social media (Morozov's "Digital civic infrastructure) where the videos run rampant with viewers. Everyone knows the police can and will over exert their power on occasion; but what makes it quite interesting, is when an information cascade begins, as seen with the shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri.

People from all over joined to protest the officer’s actions when he shot and killed the 18 year old. But did even half of these people actually know what happened? Did anyone actually witness the events leading up to the shooting? The answer is no. And speculations ran wild. So wild, in fact, that protestors became violent, threatening the life of the officer; without even knowing the details of the story. In fact, I can personally say I heard about 9 different versions. First, I was outraged that the cops seemed to have shot the young man in cold blood. Then, as details emerged, it seemed the young man may have robbed a local store, which prompted police action (which made me feel less outraged). Next, we heard there was a struggle for the officer’s gun, which is why the officer shot at Brown. So, what actually was the truth? No one really knew, but as protests and racial tensions spurred, people seemed to forget entirely that the details had not yet been released. They forgot everything they might believe had happened, and stood in the streets, ridiculing the officer’s actions, calling him a murderer. Did the protestors actually believe this? Or was it just a way to point out an overall situation in which people believe police are all power hungry murderers? In some ways, I felt bad for the officers. You know, even the ones who did absolutely nothing wrong and were still being threatened because they worked for the same police force. In some ways, I felt bad for the protestors, because they stood so valiantly, and were protesting for good purpose. But more than either of those, I was confused, deeply confused. How do people just start mass riots without even knowing what happened? It’s crazy how people will believe the first side they hear, and forget what their gut is actually telling them. Nonetheless, information cascades will always occur as long as the media reports one fact at a time, without telling the whole story.