We all saw the video a couple of weeks ago. The young woman lost and “Periscope”-ing. She says openly that she is “drunk” and is obviously operating a motor vehicle. That young woman, Whitney Marie Beall, has been arrested and charged with driving under the influence in Florida.
Her attorney says the 23-year old Florida woman is a young professional and that he is going to enter a plea of Not Guilty. I am looking forward to how this story unfolds.
The whole incident raises so many questions. Was the whole thing an act? A publicity stunt? Or is it bigger than that? Are some people really so engulfed in the new media “normal” of posting everything that they can’t rationalize whether or not something is appropriate to post (or in this case live stream)?
To post or not to post is the question. From what we eat at night, to every time a cat sneezes, to the barrage of wedding and baby pics we all see everyday, we are fast becoming numb to the reality that we are letting the entire world (including law enforcement and the government) into our daily private lives in unprecedented ways.
But the biggest question still remains: Why would anyone voluntarily use media to expose their own alleged criminal act? My answer is that most people probably would not, and every person definitely should not.
This trial will be a good one to watch as it brings the consequences of living digital into a new light. Ms. Beall did do something right, she hired an attorney to defend her on this drunk driving charge. If you are charged with driving while intoxicated in Texas, you need a experienced DWI attorney to help defend your rights.
To read more about this incident see the great article below by Dana Ford for CNN:
http://www.cnn.com/2015/10/13/us/woman-live-streams-drunk-driving/