Nowadays, with more social media presence and a larger number of people who are active on these digital platforms, we can see that a whole array of changes in the existing system has come. Now, as people are more into social media such as Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, etc. So, it has become very rare where people to watch television or news channels to get acquainted with the ongoing or current issues in the country. It has been in trend that social media posts, be it on Instagram or X, have a larger number of viewers or audiences, and it has somehow been able to influence the decisions.
In the context of our country, India, we can see how social media has been able to influence so many decisions, be it of the government or in the judiciary. The rising cases of rapes, robberies, scams, or any other persisting issues that are important at the national level as well have been influenced by several social media users, where people actively engage and give their unsolicited advice or opinions.
The opinions are solely based on hearsay, not any clear understanding of the problems or any valid proof. Moreover, social media is often considered the 4th pillar of the Indian democracy now, as the audience has been able to influence the decision-making of the governments.
For instance, the recent Delhi elections of 2025 were highly influenced by the social media trending posts, which were about the high tax that the government was imposing on the people. These posts were circulating all over social media platforms such as Instagram, Twitter, or YouTube, which have been able to influence the government, as the recent announcement before the election was about the reduction in the tax people were paying to the government. So, it was a win for the people who have been able to influence the decision-making of the government.
There could be several reasons for the rise of such social media trials. It might be because of the falling traditional court system or the existing one, which has not been able to rule out several cases or is not even able to provide them justice. As we know, justice delayed is justice denied. Thus, social media became the room where people could discuss, debate, or highlight the issues that could have been buried with time.
We can see recent examples of the RJ Kar medical rape case in Kolkata. Along with that, there were also several rape or sexual assault cases, such as the Kiit University assault case and many other grave cases, which were highlighted at the national level. And it helped to make the justice process faster, because these issues were highlighted all over social media platforms and were also televised on the news channels for a long time. Thus, the outrage that the social media was able to create has helped the victims and the family to keep their support with them and fight for their justice.
On the internet, people use the hashtags JusticeFor and some others, which have actually helped in circulating the issues all over the platforms and kept the audience engaged with this, which is actually essential so that the case would be highlighted for the long term. It is really essential for a country like India, due to its large population, often justice is often very much delayed. Such cases can be seen from the Nirbhaya rape case, where the justice that they got was delayed for 6-8 years. Thus, it is very important to change the existing justice system that the country has, and social media is now acting as a new way through which such trials are going on, which is important for the victim's family or people who are the actual victims of such cases.
However, the more it helps, the more it causes problems at the same time. It is due to AI or several other tools that are available all over the internet. Nowadays, we can see that the public outrage has turned, which is humiliating as well as trying to downgrade the picture of many people. Even sometimes before the actual trial starts, just for the accused or when the real incident surfaces all over social media, people try to downgrade the identity or the picture of the people, be it a celebrity or any other person, without any valid proof, just by hearsay. This harms the regulation of the accused, who has not yet been proven guilty. Due to the social media trials, it often leads to career destruction and complete public image loss, even if you are not guilty.
News media also highlight such issues for their TRPs and benefits. Apart from that, people act as judges or self-made judges all over the media and social media without knowing the complete truth or based on a half-truth. Moreover, sometimes edited videos are often circulated, which is very much harmful to the reputation of celebrities or other highly respected persons.
Thus, governments must acknowledge that these channels or social media platforms are truly supervisors. Strict laws and rules should be enforced so that, without any valid proof or public outrage, which is based on completely on opinions and hearsay, should not harm or try to downgrade anyone's image or reputation without having any valid proof. Constitutionally, every person is innocent until proven guilty. But online, the reverse has become true, which seems dangerous for several reasons. It violates Article 21 of the person as well as the rights mentioned in Article 14.
Courtroom procedures are being quickly replaced by social media trials, which frequently result in public decisions lacking legal support. Digital platforms increase awareness, but they usually ignore due process, evidence, and the presumption of innocence. This behaviour has the potential to undermine the legal system and harm people's reputations. Justice must continue to be based on the law and the evidence, not on internet views. To guarantee justice and accountability, we must find a balance between the public's voice and the rule of law.