Title of the Essay, Author, and Date

Guilty in the Court of Social Media by Paulina Haselhort(September 18, 2015)

Title of the Reflection

Court of Social Media

First Impression

Social media have jurisdictions

Quote

The snowflake never needs to feel responsible for the avalanche.

Reflection Paper

When we talk about “Social media” we could actually think about the different websites or blogs that are commonly used worldwide. These websites served as a “freedom wall”, “Photo album”, “Biography about you”, although the only difference is that you are connecting with other people both to your friends and to strangers as well, “on line”. You are allowing yourself to be exposed, not even further noticing that you are actually doing it unintentionally.  Social media, on the other hand, both has advantages and disadvantages.

People could freely vent up their abhorrence, hatred, prejudices, biases, opinions, etc., in the social media. But what suck is, when these buzzing bloggers and feisty commentators are now “attacking you”!

These communication platform have given the user the privilege and consent to execute punishments unto the said “guilty person” in the court of social media. But in this “courtroom” what the so-called jurors weren’t able to provide is—a finite and predictable sentence.

Social media condemnation is permanent. Unlike those hearings happening in a real life courtroom, online aspiration remains there for who knows when, avenging unpredictable havoc.

There are some people that are known, like for an instance, a bestselling author had been caught for plagiarism. People from the social media will begin a strike on line, will start triggering you offensive and disparaging innuendos as a bullet to shoot you down. Now this is the process of the social media “courtroom”, there jurors will no longer interrogate you, no lawyers or witnesses are needed, you aren’t imprisoned but is sentence with these offensive comments until who knows when. The guilty person will suffer and face the consequences, we can no longer erased those comments neither corrupt it in everyone’s mind. You are now part of the social media’s “History”. Since the permanence of on line judgement makes it all impossible for offenders to wipe their slate clean and restart a new career. It is really impossible to prove if these shaming is a temporary setback or a lifelong scarlet letter.

However, all of us don’t want to be responsible for joblessness, and the bad effect the public have on our families and friends. But unfortunately, the effect of rage and chaos on line is ultimately out of our hands. The court of the social media is a place to be feared. It is not following any rules or policies, yet the users could apply or give punishments that will surely leave a permanent mark on your life. If we suspect that we have been too harsh, we can always logged off and pretend like nothing ever happen. We will never know the impact of what we have done. As Ronson wrote, “The snowflake never needs to feel responsible for the avalanche.”, it means that an individual shouldn’t feel responsible for the cause of the outraged and chaos that is happening either on the social media or in the real world

5 things that I've learned 

1. Social media condemnation is permanent

2. Online defamation remains for an unknown period of time.

3. Online rants ignites individuals to come together and promote a cause, albeit through aggressive means.

4. Readers are eager to see justice record.

5. Most of us don't want to be responsible for lifelong distance. 

5 integrative questions

1. Why is it impossible for offenders to wipe their slate clean and restart their careers?

2. Why was it moderators can delete particularly vile or threatening comments from an old threads, but erasing the most cringe-worthy thoughts cannot undo established perceptions?

3. Where can a reader see justice record?

4. What was it unethical for us to punish wrongdoers indefinitely, but permanence is a core aspect of social media?

5. What was it in social media?