Digital Law & Order: By Raina

  Social media nowadays plays a role in everyone’s life(most people at least) from opinions and reviews of restaurants to shaping public opinion on political matters. In this case social media holds a role in both politics and criminal justice; it shapes public opinion, influences policy discussions, and brings in more engagement when it comes to political and social issues including those related to criminal justice. Because social media is all around and reaches millions of people daily,  police departments, advocacy groups, and policymakers have started their own profiles/accounts on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, etc. to share updates or campaigns directly to the public by  creating an online presence. It also allows them to stay in touch with the community, which can foster a line of trust between the two. With the internet and social media reaching millions of people daily it is easy for certain videos to go viral, some of these viral videos can be about th...

  Living in the age of technology, social media has severely impacted how people interact and form relationships with one another as well as how they build their networks. Jim Rawson highlights two kinds of ties, strong and weak. Strong ties are close friends or family; they are people you have a strong trust with as well as deep emotional ties. Weak ties on the other hand are people such as acquaintances or online relationships. In the age of social media, weak ties are frequent as well as amplified through platforms such as X, or FaceBook. It shapes how people understand institutions, including the Criminal Justice System. This directly connects to the Criminal Justice system. Because there is so much information and opinions online it severely impacts the CJ system; viral videos, user generated content and online commentary sway public perceptions of policing and courts are and are run. One singular recorded interaction can influence conversation nationwide. Conversations inclu...