No Hashtag, No Justice? How the Digital Information Space Shapes Criminal Justice

BIPSS Research Associate Mohosina Mostofa Mity examines how social media and the digital information space are increasingly shaping criminal justice by determining which crimes become visible, receive public pressure, and demand institutional response. The commentary explores the “Camera Effect,” the “Algorithmic Lottery of Justice,” the “Geography of Digital Justice,” and the “Attention Half-Life of a Crime” to show how recording, algorithms, unequal networks, and rapidly shifting public attention can create new inequalities in accountability. Using international examples, including George Floyd and the Rohingya massacre in Myanmar, alongside cases from Bangladesh, it argues that viral visibility can accelerate state action but cannot guarantee justice, particularly where political, social, or economic power shapes accountability. It concludes that justice must remain based on evidence, effective institutions, and equal access to accountability—not on whether a victim’s suffering becomes visible to millions online.