An Analysis of Facebook 'Likes' and Other Nonverbal Internet Communication Under the Federal Rules of Evidence

• Author: Molly D. McPartland
• Position: J.D. Candidate, The University of Iowa College of Law, 2014; B.A., The University of Iowa, 2011
• Pages: 445-470

An Analysis of Facebook “Likes” and

Other Nonverbal Internet

Communication Under the Federal Rules

of Evidence

Molly D. McPartland∗

ABSTRACT: Social media is an im portant part of our lives. Th e social

media users’ ability to share his o r her feelings and thoughts h as moved

beyond the written word and now includes pictures, music, a nd multiple

other forms of nonverbal content-sharing. A s the day-to-day influence of

nonverbal content-sharing through social media inc reases, so too will—by

necessity—the attempt to use th ese forms of communication as evid ence in

the courtroom. Aside from the Fourth Circuit’s holding in Bland v.

Roberts—that a Facebook “like” is protected by the First Amendment—

courts have yet to deal with no nverbal social media content including

Facebook “likes” or Twitter “favorites.” This Note explains why courts

should apply the Federal Rules of Evidence excluding hearsay and allowing

adoptive admissions to Facebook “likes” and other nonverbal social med ia

content, including s imilar forms of communica tion yet to be invented. This

Note argues that “likes” should not be vie wed as creating new, independent

statements, but should instea d be viewed as nonverbal ado ptions of

preexisting statements similar t o unprompted head nods. However, this Note

illustrates that even if “likes” are viewed as independent statements, “likes”

will often constitute hearsay. Furthermo re, this Note advocates that “l ikes”—

if viewed properly as manifestations of a greement with preexisting

statements—allow otherwise inadmissible h earsay statements to qualify for

the adoptive admissions hearsa y exemption. “Likes” can be an alyzed under

the existing Federal Rules of Evidence and no reform to th e Federal Rules is

needed as parties increasingly use nonve rbal social media content in the

courtroom.

∗ J.D. Candidate, The University of Iowa College of Law, 2014; B.A., The University of

Iowa, 2011. I would like to thank the writers and editors of Volumes 98 and 99 of the Iowa Law

Review for their work on this Note and my family for their unending support.

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446 IOWA LAW REVIEW [Vol. 99:445

I. INTRODUCTION .................................................................................... 447

II. BACKGROUND ...................................................................................... 448

A. WHAT IS A FACEBOOK “LIKE?” ........................................................ 448

B. THE FEDERAL RULES OF EVIDENCE GOVERNING HEARSAY .................. 449

1. Statement .............................................................................. 450

a. Assertions ......................................................................... 450

b. Grammatical Construction ................................................. 454

2. Declarant and Out-of-Court Statement Components ......... 455

3. Truth of the Matter Asserted Component ........................... 455

C. THE HEARSAY EXEMPTION FOR ADOPTIVE ADMISSIONS...................... 457

1. Nonverbal Conduct as Adoptive Admissions ....................... 458

2. E-Mail Forwarding as Adoptive Admissions ......................... 459

III. ANALYZING A “LIKE” UNDER THE FEDERAL RULES OF EVIDENCE .......... 460

A. “LIKES,” IF VIEWED AS CREATING INDEPENDENT STATEMENTS, MAY

CONSTITUTE HEARSAY .................................................................... 461

1. Statement .............................................................................. 461

2. Declarant and Made-Out-of-Court Component s ................. 463

3. Truth of the Matter Asserted ................................................ 464

B. “LIKES” QUALIFY AS ADOPTIVE ADMISSIONS ...................................... 466

IV. CONCLUSION ....................................................................................... 469