“SOCIAL MEDIA JUSTICE” IN THE PERSPECTIVE OF JUDICIAL INDEPENDENCE

Abstract

Social media is one of the most important tools of engagement in today's communication age, allowing users to freely share their views with one other and with those in authority. As a branch of government, the judiciary regularly features in such exchanges, with many issues that fall under its remit prominent in social media posts. In ongoing proceedings in particular, it is seen that social media posts about subjects that come under the purview of the judicial body can negatively affect its independence by exerting an influence on judicial decisions. It has also been observed that judicial decisions have not only been swayed by social media posts, but even become subject to change. This has given rise to the concept of "social media justice" and has served to undermine public trust in the judiciary. This study, therefore, examines the influence of social media posts on judicial independence and their role in guiding judicial decisions - the phenomenon of "social media justice" is also considered.