The drug wars in Mexico have created a situation where people rely on social media to safeguard themselves. Here, it is believed, is an instantaneous source of grassroots information more trustworthy than official news outlets. So when in 2011 messages spread on Twitter that gunmen were kidnapping children from schools in Veracruz, parents rushed to grab their offspring. The result was chaos, with jammed phone lines, multiples car crashes and panic in the streets. After 72 hours, the messages were proved to be false. Two people were charged with terrorism offences for spreading false rumours, jailed, and then later released after a popular outcry.
See http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-15010202