Two Peas in a Pod: The Justice System + Social Media

Have you ever found yourself thinking about all the content you uncover on a daily basis? Each morning, you wake up to your phone buzzing with the New York Times, CNN or other news outlets describing the atrocities and unrest that took place while you were asleep. If you thought your news notifications from news apps were getting annoying, you could always adjust your settings to filter in less headlines and/or delete the app in its entirety.  But can we say the same on social media? The overwhelming nature of digital news has been swept into a whirlwind on social media.

While you do have the option of deleting the app (whether it be instagram, pinterest, twitter, youtube etc.), are you absolutely sure you’d like to close that window of socialization? If your answer is no, then you’ve chosen to be stuck with the rest of us (in limbo, haha). On social media outlets, you can alter what you see and hear, but even when such measures are taken to avoid the noise of it all, news updates somehow seep into our focus and appear on our timelines. When this happens, we must reluctantly come to the conclusion that news headlines are utterly unavoidable, especially within our connected world today. 

Now that we’ve established how usurping broadcasting companies and headlines can be, we move to the question: Is all that sparkles, glitter inside? Just because the news shares details and we fall prey to its attention, doesn’t mean it’s effective and that the audience is listening to what’s being shared. But the same may not be said for information disseminated from/about our justice/criminal system- at least, not during the police brutality against George Floyd (something is indeed meant to be said about this particular case). 

George Floyd was an African American man killed during an arrest in Minneapolis, MN after a store clerk alleged he had passed a counterfeit $20 bill in exchange for an item in the store. When this news broke, it was devastating and shocking at that same time. In 2020, “A man could die for presenting counterfeit money?”, I thought to myself. “Surely, there’s more information to this atrocity- that hasn’t come to light as yet?” Within the next few hours, myself, America and the world would come to find out that an officer rested his knee on George Floyd’s neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds, until the black man was no longer conscious, leading to his quickened demise. 

As you can imagine, such a description, let alone a reality painted before all of our eyes, stirred up a whirlwind of emotions for protesters, bystanders and ordinary people living their daily lives, in their respective bubbles. In that instant, it felt like the world stopped. And social media can be thanked for that! 

Take the tragic death of our beloved Breonna Taylor, for instance. Ms Taylor was a 26 year old African American woman fatally shot in her Louisville, KY apartment on March 13, 2020 when officers forced entry into her home in an effort to investigate a pending drug dealing operation. According to the news, Breonna Taylor fell victim to a case of misidentification and hasteful intrusion.. 

The outpour of action was soul bearing, to say the least, that it swept across nations. As people felt overwhelming emotions of sadness and grief, we saw sentiments turn into activism. Social media awakened generations of folks to go and protest and fight for an endearing cause. Social media took on the great responsibility of trying to bring to light the abrupt killing of Breonna Taylor, a front line worker.

But, let’s take it a step further. Breonna Taylor’s case garnered national and international attention, so much so that celebrities of all kinds were displaying support for justice in her name, by urging supporters and followers to participate in protests, donate to different legal funds aiding her lawsuit and sharing her hashtag on multiple social media outlets. 

In this particular case, it’s social media that walked home with the grand prize, as our [United States’] justice system agreed to pay Taylor’s estate $12 million. And before you say to yourself, “Wow- that’s a lot of money”, I encourage you to think about the life that was taken so quickly. It was reported that the officers tried in Breonna’s case admitted to no liability or wrongdoing and were absolved of all medical expenses related to Taylor’s death. In that same light, the reporting further stated that Taylor’s family was restricted from suing the city in the settlement they received. In my perspective social media gave Breonna Taylor’s name a new purpose other than a hashtag of a life taken so soon. Away from the shadow of her settlement, the Louisville police department and the city, social media respected Breonna Taylor’s memory and bore credence to her life and dedication to public health services on digital platforms around the world. 

It shouldn’t come as a surprise, our world is more connected today, than it has ever been. We are constantly in connection with others around the world, whether we’re simply using the same app, partaking in a conversation or liking/commenting on a picture or shared video. The nebulous web of communication that social media creates, somehow turned into a ominous tide of social justice and activism across nations. 

How would you describe social media in conjunction with our justice system? Has it replaced it or are the two working together, each under a different disguise? 

It’s safe to say, social media has not replaced our justice system. For one, they each operate in different mediums, one physical while the other is virtual.  And while the current justice system in the United States seeks to bring attention and legal action to those who break the law and/or uphold unconventional ideals and virtues that seek to harm the greater good; social media attempts to do the same, just under different circumstances and with less of a standardized process in mind. 

Aside from the obvious, only one has the power to augment a case within seconds to where that same case has now galvanized worldly attention. Social media’s swiftness is completely unmatched and sometimes unhinged, but, we mustn’t stray away from the fact that it is effective as heck, lol! And it’s held many accountable for their actions, even sometimes before the justice system can fully conduct its standard process of charging and convicting a criminal. It’s to this end that I suggest the two work in conjunction with one another. 

How do I put it in simple terms- let’s try this: the justice system is like the superhero, while social media is it’s sidekick. Most likely, it [social media] will expose the issue quicker because it fails the need to worry about leadership, exposure and accountability. It’s focus is sharp and concentrated, with topic/issue at hand, rather than multiple issues and cases on its plate. Social media/the sidekick moves swiftly to bring attention to the cause or case and operates with an egalitarian’s mindset, equally disseminating news, facts and figures to the populous. 

In conclusion, social media and the justice system go hand in hand. It is unfortunate that George Floyd’s and Breonna Taylor’s memories serve as examples of this ever-present relationship between social media and the justice system, but if we examine similar cases prior to George Floyd’s and Breonna Taylor’s demise, we uncover a disparity in the public’s attention and action in support of the cause to serve justice accordingly. 

This relationship is meant to be preserved and upheld, not to be shunned and destroyed. I mention this to say, it is equally important that the two maintain their operating work spaces, a.k.a., one in the physical world (courtrooms, offices) while the other in the virtual space. 

I’m eager to understand and know how you think of this relationship and whether you find it necessary that this connection between the justice system and the digital world be safeguarded for the efficacy of justice.

Please share your thoughts and I’ll see you next time 😉 SH