Crowdsourcing the Law - Trying Sexual Assault on Social Media

While the general public may feel uncomfortable discussing sexual assault and violence with neighbors or coworkers, the popularity of Twitter, Snapchat, and a host of other social media platforms suggests that we are not shy about expressing our opinions online. Debates that just a few years ago would have taken place in real life have been relocated online; allowing eager commenters to share their thoughts on guilt or innocence with legions of virtual strangers. Crowdsourcing the Law explores how everyday participants interpret and apply law in the influential online court of public opinion. Engaging a multidisciplinary, case study approach, the book analyzes social media comments about public figures such as Bill Cosby, Brock Turner, and Harvey Weinstein to address ambitious questions like: How are rape myths being challenged, reinforced, and reinvented on social media? What is the promise and peril of the #MeToo movement for transforming the law? And can due process be afforded in the face of an increasingly powerful virtual jury?

List of contents

Part I: The Survivors
Chapter 1: The Casting Couch: Commonwealth v. William Henry Cosby, Jr.

Chapter 2: Gold Diggers: Erica Kinsman v. Jameis Winston

Chapter 3: Liars: Phi Kappa Psi v. Rolling Stone, LLC

Part II: The Perpetrators
Chapter 4: Railroaded: State of Mississippi v. Milam and Bryant

Chapter 5: Monsters: People of the State of California v. Brock Allen Turner

Part III: Crowdsourcing the Law
Chapter 6: Reckoning: People v. Weinstein

About the author

Francine Banner is attorney and associate professor of sociology at the University of Michigan-Dearborn.

Summary

Crowdsourcing the Law engages in-depth qualitative analysis of online discussions of contemporary sexual assault cases to explore how law is interpreted and applied by everyday participants on social media.

Product details

• Authors: Francine Banner
• Publisher: Lexington Books
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 31.03.2021
• EAN: 9781498550963
• ISBN: 978-1-4985-5096-3
• No. of pages: 356
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > Linguistics and literary studies > General and comparative linguistics; Social sciences, law, business > Political science > Political science and political education; Media Studies, Human Rights, POLITICAL SCIENCE / Human Rights, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Media Studies, LANGUAGE ARTS & DISCIPLINES / Rhetoric, LAW / Gender & the Law, Gender & the law, Impact of science & technology on society, Impact of science and technology on society, Human rights, civil rights, Ethical & social aspects of IT, Semantics, discourse analysis, stylistics, Law and society, gender issues, Semantics, discourse analysis, etc