Southern Law Journal Vol. 32 - Paperback

by Diane Brown (Editor)

More than half of the world's population now performs a wide range of daily activities in a computer-mediated fashion.1 For instance, people use digital platforms to communicate, shop, or study. With the birth of social media, people increasingly go online for various social or professional activities, be it chatting with friends or family, finding a date, participating in discussions about politics, or getting the news. More than 70 percent of adult Americans are using at least one social media site; that number goes up to more than 90 percent for those who are 18-29 years old. The use of technology increased further after the COVID-19 pandemic hit, with many people working and socializing from home using software such as Zoom and Facebook Livestream. According to Nielsen Reports, screen time during COVID-19-including television, computers, tablets, and smartphones-has increased to over 13 hours a day. Being in a digital environment is the new normal. This means that the use of information technology has gone well beyond the traditional boundaries of the workplace, becoming ubiquitous. It also means that the bulk of big data is generated through what has been called its everydayness.