Love could change the Twitter world forever

I’m not talking about that lovey-dovey romantic feeling you get either. I’m talking about Courtney Love, the singer-songwriter once married to Nirvana singer, Kurt Cobain.

Photo source: celebuzz

Twitter has been in the social media game for quite some time now, allowing any and every one with an account to express their thoughts in 140 characters or less. Twitter isn’t just for the everyday person either. The application is used by thousands of celebrities ranging in social status all around the world.

So what’s the big deal?

Love is going to trial because of a tweet. Yes, you read that correctly. For the first time in history a “Twibel,” Twitter liberal case, is being brought to trial in the United States. Rhonda Holmes is taking Courtney Love to court over the below tweet. The tweet was originally posted in 2010 and has since been deleted.

@CourtneyLoveUK: "@noozjunkie I was f*cking devastated when Rhonda J Holmes Esq of san diego was bought off @fairnewsspears perhaps you can get a quote

Brian Claypool, an attorney not associated with the case, told ABC News his input on the scenario.

 “The Courtney Love Twitter lawsuit is monumental because the judge has now determined that tweeting in California can potentially give rise to liability under the theory of defamation.”

“The Courtney Love case will set a precedent that will result in, potentially, the average person being liable as well.”

Basically, Love is calling out Holmes for not defending her in a real estate issue from a few years back. Love claims that this tweet was not meant to be public, but instead should have been a direct message to two individuals.

Love made it a point to state that regardless of the message being public; it was an opinion, not a fact. Therefore she felt that she should not be penalized for it. The judge did not see eye to eye with Love which is why a trial is now set in place.

This article does an amazing job explaining what is going on with this trial and what could happen is Love is charged and how it could affect the Twitter world as we know it.

I’ve got to say I’m leaning with Love on this one. I know I’ve posted things on social media that are inside jokes between friends and family. An outsider could easily read something I’ve posted and misinterpret it. Social media platforms are a lot like those gossip magazines you see on newsstands. They are basically posting whatever they want about people from “sources” who may not even know the celebrity at all. So if they are allowed to profit off of stories bashing celebrities without being penalized, then why should someone who posted something on their personal Twitter account for free, and quite possibly by accident, be charged?

Let me make it clear that I am not saying Courtney Love is right. It’s most certainly not ok to get all crazy and start bullying people on the internet. I just think that there are much bigger fish to fry such as paparazzi websites and gossip papers that post these types of things all the time than worrying about 1 person. If Love is convicted, I can’t even imagine what “Freedom of speech” issues will arise from something like this also.

Only time will tell how this will all play out.