INTRODUCTION
Social media platforms are interactive computer-mediated technologies that facilitate the creation or sharing of information, ideas, career interests and other forms of expression via virtual communities and networks. An administrative establishment that has been adversely hit by social media is the legal system. Social media platforms nowadays are changing into courts as people don’t even take a second to prove someone guilty. Platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter are used to post incidents by people and then the trial starts. Just based on the posts without knowing the whole scenario and backgrounder of the story, citizens already make them the culprit. Now a days there are hordes of opinionated individuals with little or no knowledge of the law and the justice delivery system who use social media as a medium to spread half-baked opinions. The functioning of a justice delivery system is, therefore, rampantly distorted on a regular basis.
Uncharitable comments, trolls and aggressive reaction on social media platforms on almost every issue, including judges and judicial proceedings, today came under the scanner of the supreme court which expressed concern over it and agreed that regulating them was necessary.
NO STANDARD REGULATIONS OVER THE ACTIONS ON SOCIAL MEDIA
The freedom of speech and expression even on social media platforms does not confer on the citizens the right to speak or publish without responsibility. It is not an unbraided license giving immunity for every possible use of language and prevents punishment for those who abuse it. Even the legislature may enact laws to impose restrictions on the right to speech and expression on several ground. Gloomy prognoses on the name of freedom of speech and expression on social platforms has eaten up the correct administrative acumen in people. Trust over the Indian judiciary stumbles frequently due to the content and facts being circulated on web platforms. Now a days any newspaper of media organization which gets an audio clip or evidence regarding, any and matter or case publish it without taking any responsibility of its authenticity. The concept of “my house is a castle” is fading due to intrusion of private players. It also at times shapes people’s school of thought in a manner that might contradict with the court of justice.
To understand with examples, is the “Bios Locker Room”; it came into reflection when a girl shared a series of screenshots of group chats from a group named Bios Locker Room. The screenshots were having a conversation in the context of sexual harassment, and about gang-raping girls. After this came out everyone on social media started hindering the image of not only the boys in the group but also every man. The world was already in lockdown, so it was the only work left with people, which was to give verdicts. The cyber cell police started investigating the case and later on discovered the fact that the chat was not even between boys, the chat took place on Snapchat and the sender was a girl and the receiver was a boy. Both were juvenile and the girl just wanted to be sure about the character of the boy.
Another recent case that has been the center of attraction for the media lately is the Sushant Singh Rajput’s murder mystery. In the early stages of the actor’s suicide , the social media was flooded with condolence messages from the industry. Soon after the case took a turn claiming it too be a murder and people stared blaming the actor’s ex-girlfriend but tables turned when his murder was no more the center of attraction rather focus shifted to Bollywood drug nexus. Nevertheless, viewers now where in the opinion he threw drug parts at his pad which included leading ladies of Bollywood. Soon after Their interrogation became the gossip of the town. The media took no time declaring them and as culprits and drug addicts , memes and callout names began popping up on everyone’s Instagram and Facebook handles. People had their judgments out and character certificates of the actresses rumored to be associated where already all-over public networking sites whereas the CBI and NCB had the case at go onto stage.
Such cases force us to think more about our nature of judging people in real life and on Social media platforms, our habit of passing on verdicts and proving someone a culprit without even getting through the facts. So, before typing anything on such platforms wait and think.
Few popular evils born in the social media world are
- CANCEL CULTURE
“Cancel culture refers to the popular practice of withdrawing support for (canceling) public figures and companies after they have done or said something considered objectionable or offensive. Cancel culture is generally discussed as being performed on social media in the form of group shaming.”(www.dictionary.com) “Cancel culture” came into the collective consciousness around 2017, after the idea of “canceling” celebrities for problematic actions or statements became popular. It is also, unfortunately, a culture in which our petty and vindictive impulses don’t just have an easy outlet in the form of social media, but where those impulses are rewarded the more, we indulge them. Social media isn’t just dissolving our concept of privacy; it encourages public conflict over interpersonal resolution (let alone minding your own business), and it erases the tempering effects of time, distance, or personal growth. Current trending hashtags reflecting the cancel culture to great extend are #notrump ,#boycottaliabhatt , #boycottthekapilsharmashow.
- ONLINE SHAMING
“Online shaming is a form of public shaming in which targets are publicly humiliated on the internet, via social media platforms, or more localized media.” (en.wikipedia.org ) “the shamed “are mocked, bullied, or otherwise harassed by other internet users sharing thousands of messages, posting photos or otherwise commenting directly to or about the shamed. Sometimes the shamed have committed a social transgression and the internet mobs use shame sanctions to enforce the norms of the online community: to condemn offensive or hateful posts, rein in gossip, expose lies, and soon. At other times, the shamed have not necessarily committed a social transgression, but are targets nonetheless, being doxed,1swatted2or otherwise exposed (i.e., revenge pornography) or harassed (i.e., stalking, blackmail, threats, and fake profiles) in a way that shames them. In the messy world in which we live, often the scenario for the shamed is a mix of the above.
At last increasing digital world influence on courts ,victims and accused are damaging their ability to be heard and receive justice in the correct manner through the appropriate channel of judicial remedy.
REFERENCES
- https://www.researchgate.net/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/
- http://www.legalserviceindia.com/
- https://law.stanford.edu/
- https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/
- https://childmind.org/
Leave a Reply