There's the drug war on the streets and then there's the war online. YouTube videos, social networking sites, there's even a blog, Del Narco, which offers an anonymous, self-described uncensored view of drug cartel activities.
"That is the Twitter generation," said Tony Payan, of the University of Texas-El Paso. "Those people are quick. They know how to use these media, these new media and they know how to send these messages. They know how to become viral practically in their messages."
Cartel messages rally supporters, threaten rivals, or try to intimidate authorities. But there's also concern cartels are secretly using social networking sites to target kidnapping victims in Mexico.