Empowerment, Social Distrust or Co-production of Security

The tectonic impact of the Internet has sparked its own social changes in Morocco. Broadly, the state gains geopolitical and economic profit while society generates communicative and socio-cultural benefit from the Internet. For society, online communication challenges the soaring levels of illiteracy, and combines with street mobilization to forge law changes or foreground cultural demands. A key social change is the increasing vigilantism against abhorrent conduct, which common citizens record, share and denounce online. This chapter explores the extent to which vigilantism co-produces security in Morocco. It locates social change within the theory of empowerment, since Moroccan vigilantes’ sense of defiance and cyber social control depends on rampant connectivity and the Arab Spring atmosphere. Relying on a limited case study, the chapter qualitatively analyses an event of classroom violence. It highlights its diverse facets and mediatised meanings, especially the ways national, local and administrative stakeholders, and family members interact with the impact of its viral circulation. The main finding is that networkedness empowers the Moroccan society to gradually sustain security and demonstrate distrust. Instead of mob justice, however, vigilantes forge a cultural pattern of recording misconduct, uploading content, creating online uproar and bringing wrongdoers to justice. Yet, the culture of impunity mars the public effort and reduces its expected social influence.