With billions of active accounts across multiple social media channels, including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, LinkedIn and more, user-generated content is being generated at an amazing pace.

And it has become so integrated into both our personal and professional lives and so normalized that some people aren't always careful about what they post to potentially millions of viewers. In the last two years, 52 percent of lawyers have reported an increase in lawsuits related to postings, images and data from social media and mobile devices, according to a study from Robert Half. So much so, that social media evidence is now routinely requested in discovery.

So, what's involved in identifying, collecting and producing social media evidence? If counsel knows which accounts have relevant information, and your e-discovery team has access to those accounts, the data can easily be collected and reviewed similar to other electronically stored information.

But sometimes social media data is obtained through an investigation, meaning a team of forensic experts or private investigators comb through various posts and accounts to find the evidence needed for the case. This can be particularly useful in medical malpractice or insurance fraud cases, if evidence suggests that people are being less than truthful about their claims.

For example, in Romano v. Steelecase, Inc. the employee claimed she hurt her back on the job and that the injury left her home-bound and unable to move, significantly reducing her quality of life. However, after her Facebook and MySpace profiles—filled with pictures of her recent vacation, which showed that she was very active and easily able to leave her home—were entered into evidence, her claim didn't hold up.

If you're not using social media in your legal cases yet, you very soon will be. This infographic outlines what's discoverable, how social media discovery should work and cases where it has been successfully implemented.

Brian Schrader, is president & CEO of BIA (www.biaprotect.com), a leader in reliable, innovative and cost-effective e-discovery services. With early career experience in information management, computer technology and the law, Schrader co-founded BIA in 2002 and has since developed the firm's reputation as an industry pioneer and a trusted partner for corporations and law firms around the world. He can be reached at [email protected].