Litigation is prohibitively expensive for most small companies. Unfortunately this means that small companies, that have legitimately been wronged by parties with more resources, can't realistically expect remedies from our legal system. Conversely, large players don't need to honor their agreements if they can afford to bankrupt their counter-party in litigation. In many ways, the only form of justice available to small companies is revenge justice.
Previously, unless large players thought you could convince a law firm to take your case on contingency, you were forced to rely on trust. But with social media, anyone can file suit in the court of public opinion if the story fits in a compelling sound bite.
Because reputational damage is often perceived as a more serious consideration than legal risk, negative media attention may be more effective in convincing companies to right wrongs.