The Screenshot Context Rule
THE RULE
When asking friends to judge a message, include enough surrounding context to make the screenshot fair.
WHAT THIS MEANS
A cropped sentence can make any man look guilty. The Court requires the verbal instant replay, not one suspicious frame.
WHEN IT DOES NOT APPLY
- Unrelated lines contain private information
- The missing context is already known by everyone receiving it
- The screenshot is only being used to confirm a date, time, or address
EXAMPLES
- VIOLATION: You crop out your ten angry texts and share only the other person's annoyed reply.
- NO VIOLATION: You cover phone numbers but include the messages that led to the disputed answer.