The very soil beneath our feet is littered with the bones of souls who were falsely accused and severely punished by social shunning, beating and death. This is not in reference to an historical context of the Inquisition or the European witch trials or the great slander against Jews that made the Holocaust reality, but to the contemporary enlightenment period of just the last 50 years.
Our brave, intelligent, always connected modern world is full of examples of barbarism fueled by a "herd mentality." Rare is the example of individuals who will challenge the mob — perhaps for fear of retribution or fear of being its next victim or fear of social ostracism. While the presumption of innocence may be the "golden thread" that binds civil society and our culture, it is easily unraveled at a moment's notice dependent on the salaciousness of the accusation and the media's thirst for scandal. Abetting this breakdown of skepticism is the speed at which information travels and the ability for everyone to add their 2-cents worth.
I believe it is an 80/20 situation: 80 percent of people form a judgment one way or another fairly swiftly (most within minutes), and 20 percent wait to gather more information. And rarely do the former take a few seconds to consider how their judgment may alter the lives of those they have rendered judgment upon.