The Impact of Social Networking on Annie Le

"Maybe it is the legal system, and not the Internet, that should be adjusting to the new order of things."

The above quote, taken from the MediaLite article by Robert Quigley, strikes me as being the most adept moment of the piece. It's easy for people to complain about the new obstacles that Web 2.0 presents to tried and true institutions. It's another for them to actually attempt to change and adapt with the changing times. Technology has always and will continue to frighten people who don't understand it. History is littered with people who struck against what they felt was the unstoppable wave of change. However, I can't help but feel that the struggle that these people feel is all for not. Technology is moving forward. Ultimately, one has to as well.

Does the advent of new social networking systems change a great deal of our society? Absolutely. Is it for the worse? I'm not so sure. While there are some definite issues that have arisen from the rise of Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, etc., these aren't necessarily issues with the services themselves but rather with the people who use them. I find that people spend their time blaming the problems they may have with these services on the service themselves. They feel their privacy is violated, that it can lead to an all-too-quick spread of false information. Yet, these people typically use these apps in a way that adds to the problem. I suppose my point here is that as technology changes with the coming times, it's ultimately up to the people to change with the technology as past generations have. It's not the technology's job to change with the people, but to push the people forward.

The Annie Le case is certainly more high profile than some small town killing. That is undeniable. Still, it comes down to individual restraint as to how people act in regards to the use of technology. Does this mean that it will be impossible to find a juror who hasn't heard of the internet rumors regarding the case? Absolutely not. Quigley says that "If this past week’s coverage is any indication, whatever trial springs out of the Le case will be a media circus, and the temptations will be even greater." Once again, that may be true. But it's foolish to blame the internet for a juror's inability to follow the simple, straightforward rules set forth before him. It comes down to personal responsibility and tact. Decry the lack of that in our society but don't blame a budding technology as the reason for it. Society hasn't started it's media downfall since the popularization of Facebook began. It was happening well before that, without any help from Twitter.