The use of social media by African judges. The Ghanaian experience

Abstract

The use of social media in judicial trials has in recent past become a common phenomenon in the legal fraternity. For many years, judicial trials have relied on the conventional method of one way communication from courts to adjudicate legal cases. However, the developments of social media have brought about a shift in the adjudication of justice. The paper examines the factors which influence the use of social media among judges; and the opportunities and challenges confronted by judges in the use of social media. It uses a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods, underpinned by bivariate and chi-square analysis,. It articulates that social media networking sites by far attract the younger generation of judges, making them an obvious target for maximizing the reach and impact of the judiciary. Judges who are inching closer to the retirement age in the judiciary engage less with social media as opposed to judges who are younger. Misrepresentation, misuse, security/privacy and bullying were found to be some of the challenges faced by judges in the use of social media. Social media was observed to speed up resolutions to cases, engage litigants, increase court efficiency and assist lawyers in tracking down individuals to be served.