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36 Law & Psychol. Rev. 275 (2012)
The Unjust Web We Weave: The Evolution of Social Media and its Psychological Impact on Juror Impartiality and Fair Trials

handle is hein.journals/lpsyr36 and id is 279 raw text is: THE UNJUST WEB WE WEAVE: THE EVOLUTION OF SOCIAL MEDIA AND ITS PSYCHOLOGICAL IMPACT ON JUROR IMPARTIALITY AND FAIR TRIALS MilandF. Simpler, I ABSTRACT Accessible in a myriad of ways, the Internet has come to define the con- temporary population as a group dependent on instant informational grati- fication. The growth of Internet popularity has not occurred without bring- ing concerns. In the context of our justice system, the easily-accessible nature of the Internet has resulted in jurors having the ability to consult on- line social media sources in order to aid their decisionmaking and delibe- rations. Moreover, jurors are sharing their own perceptions and opinions of the trials in which they are serving. Both of these misuses pose a threat to defendants' constitutionally guaranteed rights to a fair trial and an im- partial jury. Understanding the importance of deterring such misconduct should prompt our courts, at all levels, to consider what the most viable op- tions are for doing so. After establishing the different routes from which to choose, they must evaluate the psychological factors associated with deter- rence, and determine which method works best in curbing potential jurors' inherent need and desire to utilize online social media and Internet-ready devices. INTRODUCTION French philosopher and essayist Charles Peguy once stated that per- haps nothing is as old as today's newspaper.' Though Peguy's observation was made nearly a century before the conception of most modem forms of communication, his statement has never rung truer than it does today. With the advent of the World Wide Web, the public's desire for instantaneous updates on the current state of the world around them has never been more . J.D. Candidate, University of Alabama School of Law, 2013; B.A. University of Ala- bama, 2010. 1. Charles Peguy Quotes on Media, PHILOSOPHICAL QUOTES & POEMS (2010), http://www.philosophical-quotes-and-poems.com/Great-Philosophical-Quotes/daily- philosophy-quotes-office-Instinct.htm (last visited May 8, 2012).

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