While going through the jury selection process earlier this month, I couldn’t help but think there must be an easier (and speedier) way to do this. One thought went through my mind, would the court system use my public Twitter account to determine if I’m qualified to be a juror? I have stuff in my Twitter stream showing my personality, habits, likes/dislikes, religious background, and thoughts on ideas. Since I am an active online user, I’m pretty much an open book. Anyone can determine essentially who I am on my blogs and social networking sites.
Sure enough, there’s an article on Wall Street Journal describing how lawyers can use Facebook for jury selection. It would make it easier for them to figure out who I am, before they even bother to call me to court for the selection process. Personally, what I shared on the my profiles pretty much represent me. Even if they’re concerned about Facebook profiles being “who the person wants to be, instead of who they really are”, it’s still good research material.
And the bit about the TV show CSI was actually mentioned in my jury discussion. No one ever solve a crime in one day, and DNA analysis is definitely not that easy and quick.
So hopefully in the years to come, the court system will join the 21st Century and use the resources on the Internet for jury research.
Tags: jury, people, social network
Building IT
Jot It Down
You’ve got a good point there, Rudy. The uses of social networking websites continue to expand to this day, and it would be beneficial if they’re also used for jury selection. People can really know a lot about you based on the activities and posts you put on your profiles, and it definitely makes the process much faster. However, courts should be meticulous when using social media for research because sometimes people do pretend to be someone they’re not. The information must always be carefully verified. 🙂
Hi Rachele,
Even in court, they don’t really tell the truth about themselves anyway. They’ll say anything to get out of jury duty.