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Why Twitter Just Might Be The Next Horror Film

When looking back on some recent slasher flicks, many of us wonder how simple all of the victim’s problems would have been solved with just a simple cell phone call to save the day.

 

With the mobile world changing the game in recent horror movies, Twitter just might be the gateway to turn the tables on technology saving the day.

 

In fact it may just be the reason behind the danger the victims face this time.

Wait! Is social media dangerous?

A recent experiment conducted by a Japanese writer gave him the ability to track down three different targets in a very busy area of Japan just by the tweets that they send by their phones.

 

Sebuyama, a writer for Omocoro in Japan was tasked with heading out into the heavy crowds of Shibuya to find three contacts to prove the bone-chilling truths of what some social media apps and sites provide for the wrong people.

Shibuya was no simple setting. There are up to 45,000 people crossing intersections there every 30 minutes, so even if someone had told you exactly where they were it could be quite difficult to actually find them. To further iterate this point, foursquare, a social media app that lets you check in to where you currently are has the most check-ins in the world in Shibuya.

 

Sebuyama took the jump and went after the massive human traffic.

 

To find them he used 3 guidelines:

 

  • They had to have used Twitter to say “Shibuya nau” ,which means now in Shibuya, recently
  • They needed to have posted an actual photo of themselves for their Twitter profile
  • They needed to post their location in Shibuya

Here is the scary part. Look through your old Tweets. How many times have you been at a concert, a new restaurant, or a ball game and perfectly fit these exact criteria? Furthermore, the venue you were at was probably a lot smaller than the swarms of pedestrians in Shibuya.

Edge of your seat? Don’t feel bad, everyone is.

The hunt was on and Sebuyama found 2 of the 3 victims in a very short time. The two captured victims had posted about the landmarks, pictures of what could have been their last meals, and one even used Foursquare to assist in the pursuit.

 

Upon locating each individual Sebuyama let them know of their technological follies and how easily they were tracked down. He had identified them from their profile picture addressed each of them by the profile name found on their account. Their days of strolling through the city absent mindedly sharing with the world might be changed forever.

 

A fun experiment in reality can really open your eyes to the dangers we may face. The scarier part is what happens when Jason or Freddy Krueger figures out how to use a cell phone as well.

 

All joking aside, being aware of what personal information shouldn’t just be bank account info or social security numbers. Really think about what information you are leaking and who you really want knowing where you are and what you are doing.

Photo Credits

RosauraOchoa / Flickr.com

Omocoro.jp

 

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