The Casey Anthony case has, no doubt, captivated the world both online and offline. It has even been said that the Casey Anthony case is to social media what the O.J. Simpson trial was to cable television. The big difference, however, is that social media gives people an opportunity to participate in a way that was never before thought possible.

What’s more is that there was a live Twitter stream going on throughout the trial as well as journalists tweeting from inside the courtroom. The impact of social media has been so significant that one cannot help but wonder how much influence it will have on the legal system going forward.

How big of a role do you see social media playing in traditional systems, such as our legal system, in the future? Let us know.

The latest Casey Anthony craze on Twitter is in regards to her release. People want to know where she is, what she’s doing, and what her next move is.

Juliet Huck, a persuasive communications expert that has worked on cases involving Scott Peterson and Kobe Bryant, told us that there was a great irony with social media in regards to Casey Anthony. She explained that even though social media has given everyone a voice, it still gives people with a wall to hide behind.

“It’s very interesting how the change of technology has given more people the ability to speak up, yet the problem with that is they get to hide behind it,” she said. “It’s just such a fascinating time right now because it does allow people that are not out in the public eye to speak what they want, which I think is great, [but] at the same time, it’s based on an opinion versus on fact.”

With the Casey Anthony case, in particular, and probably with more cases going forward, it has also been fascinating to see how people really believed that their opinion could impact the outcome of the trial. While these opinions can bring about influence, Huck said that they can’t change the law.

Unless something drastically changes, she told us that the law and public opinion would remain completely separate, in spite of how loud the public might be.

“Basically, what you’re going to end up with is a lot of public opinion over here and a law over here,” she said. “The way people are communicating is never going to change the law, unless people speak up to change the law.”

“The public opinion on this case is, obviously, so massive… but there is a system, there is a law, and law is not based on your personal judgment,” she added.

Are people forgetting about the law in Casey Anthony’s case?