Linton Weeks

In the past several years, as more and more people are connected through more and more social media, the idea of turning personal grievances into class actions has been popping up, well, more and more. In Virginia, a group that is against affirmative action in education went fishing for plaintiffs on websites recently, according to National Public Radio. The group seeks college applicants who feel they were discriminated against. In Utah, the American Civil Liberties Union posted a tweet on Twitter earlier in 2014 seeking plaintiffs in a suit to protect the rights of same-sex couples married there. And in California, Tea Party organizations have come together in a class action alleging that the Internal Revenue Service treated them unfairly. They have created a website, Sue the IRS, that focuses on aspects of the suit. According to a recent post on Law360, the action -- which comprises tax and privacy issues -- could be a test case for social media and the law. Citizens for Self-Governance, the group behind the case, is led by Tea Party Patriots co-founder Mark Meckler. Such public activity could have repercussions for the case, reports Law360. "As the overlap of social media and class actions continues to escalate, this could be a great case to watch."