SOCIAL MEDIA AND THE LAW: HOW WHAT’S TRENDING AFFECTS THE LEGAL LANDSCAPE IN AMERICA

LegalSocialMedia-02.png

By: Lauren Marsicano

Insta: @networkingmaverick

Social Media and the Law: How What’s Trending Affects the Legal Landscape in America

Social media has and continues to impact the legislative process, or at least how the public perceives and consumes it. Hours after Mueller testified that Russia interfered in the 2016 election and that Russia and other foreign governments were already at work on 2020 interference, Kentucky senator Mitch McConnell blocked a bill to strengthen election security. The aftermath on social media and the Twittersphere led to some less-than-gracious trending hashtags, including #MoscowMitch. In an effort to quell the haters and belay hashtags, the senator made a rare response on the senate floor calling such social media pressures “modern day McCarthyism.”  But #MoscowMitch wasn’t the only senator taking heat on social. The cold war era hashtags continued with #LeningradLindsey trending after Senator Lindsay Graham advanced a bill on asylum to the Senate waiving procedural rules. Social media has become more and more a political sword in the arsenal of most politicians these days, and some might argue that the rise in the use of social media in this way was popularized by our current President. 

What are your thoughts on the use of social media to add pressure in our politics and on our politicians? Do you believe it’s fighting fire with fire or is it truly the beginning of “modern day McCarthyism”?

Even though politicians have only really gotten into the social media game, lawyers have been using social media postings as evidence in both civil and criminal cases for years. Especially in an era where people are increasingly more comfortable with sharing intimate details of their daily life online, be sure to think twice before making that next status update or sending what you think is a private DM rant to your friend. Nothing is truly private anymore, and anything you say online could potentially be used against you in the court of law. 

*This article is being offered for educational purposes only and is not legal advice. No attorney-client relationship has been formed, and you should always consult an attorney to discuss your unique situation.

Lauren Marsicano