The Role of Social Media in Accidents: Faruqi & Faruqi LLP; Faruqi Explains the Implications
By Adam
We often hear about accidents because of the desire to capture moments for social media. It seems that the world has revolved around the virtual connections we establish while social media platforms compete to engage their users.
A Recent Accident Involving Snapchat
An accident that happened on May 4, 2021, reveals that three young men crashed against a tree while speeding in a vehicle. The purpose of the three young men performing the stunt was to try out one of Snapchat’s filters. This filter allegedly shows the actual speed of the vehicle people are driving.
The three parents believe that Snapchat is to blame for the accident, as young people are enticed to show off their speeds on the social media platform. Many victims are powerless against tech giants, but surprisingly, the court revealed that the parents have the right to file a civil lawsuit because of the app’s design.
Civil litigation law firm Faruqi & Faruqi LLP believes that the justice system is headed in the right direction because of this decision. This article explains the implications that could happen as the public will gain the power to file civil lawsuits against social media giants.
Justice for Personal Injury Victims and Survivors
Most personal injury victims and survivors settle with little to no compensation for the accidents that have happened due to social media participation. While this has been going on for the most part since the advent of social media, this single 2021 case can give that one step closer to justice for the three young victims and future victims and survivors.
Faruqi & Faruqi LLP explains that social media platforms have the legal protection that would cover them if some parties decide to file a lawsuit. However, it is a powerful fact to discover that people who are harmed because of the app’s design will finally be given justice.
Rethinking the design of Social Media
Many accidents relating to social media are because of trends and challenges gone wrong. These are often user-generated ideas and content that encourage people, especially the young, to show impressive feats on photos and videos.
Sadly, the design of social media turning interactions into a popularity contest has been the core of accidents due to the trends and challenges posed. Social media giants now should have the moment to rethink the design of their apps, eliminating the content that encourages dangerous behavior while keeping genuine interactions.
Some areas of improvement include:
- Medico-legal teams reviewing the content of social media features: Faruqi & Faruqi LLP explains that experts should have a verdict on the design and features of the application that may be a blind spot for other developers. This step could help prevent future accidents and also protect the tech companies.
- Gathering opinions: When trends and challenges become viral, it is often only among a certain demographic and not within the sweeping social media population. Thus, it is essential to gather opinions of other demographics unaffected by social media features, trends, and challenges …read more
Source:: Social Media Explorer
Author: Aaron
