Take yourself back to the month of June in the year 2022 when a jury made a decision that actor Amber Heard had defamed her ex-husband, fellow actor Johnny Depp, and observe the reaction on social media. Depp had filed a lawsuit against Heard over a 2018 op-ed she wrote for the Washington Post, in which she presented herself as a public figure representing domestic abuse. If you require immediate assistance with family and domestic violence, please contact emergency services at triple-0. Heard responded to the lawsuit by filing a countersuit, and the jury found that Depp, through one of his lawyers, had defamed Heard in one of the three counts in her countersuit. It seems that Depp emerged as the apparent winner in the legal battle, but he had already secured victory in the court of public opinion.
A three-part series on Netflix now explores what it refers to as the world’s first trial by TikTok. The documentary is compiled without a narrator and instead relies on live tweets, live streams, and influencers expressing their opinions through videos that were prevalent during the court case. The series presents both testimonies side by side and reminds viewers of the overwhelming attention the case received on social media. Johnny Depp received an immense amount of public support on social media from content creators. (Provided by Netflix)
Although the jurors were prohibited from using social media during the trial, Heard mentioned in an interview after the trial on the Today Show on NBC that social media played a role in the verdict. She stated that it would have been impossible for even the most well-intentioned juror to avoid the wall-to-wall coverage. The social media frenzy was fueled by the presence of cameras in the courtroom and the possibility of live streaming the proceedings to a global audience.
The series also shows Depp meeting with a vlogger after the conclusion of the case to express his gratitude to him and others for their support. Depp refers to them as his “warriors” and acknowledges that they lifted him above “the horror show”. However, for Heard, there was little protection from the vitriol she endured, as she reported experiencing abuse and harassment. She shared with the court, “People want to kill me. People want to put my baby in the microwave. They tell me that.” The Netflix series emphasizes the intense scrutiny Amber Heard faced on social media. (Provided by Netflix)
Content creators took serious allegations and intimate details about the couple’s relationship and turned them into entertainment, with many profiting from their content, some for the first time. Subscriber counts skyrocketed, and videos went viral. Episode two of the series is particularly gripping, as it showcases the social media reaction to revelations made in court when Depp and Heard visited Australia as a couple in 2015. Content creators seized the opportunity to express their opinions, accusing the actors of dishonesty during their testimonies. Influencers even dressed up as Heard, imitating her responses to questions in court, and their live reactions were edited into the court footage. Conspiracy theories were rampant.
The response to the series on social media has been diverse, with some considering it a “biased attempt at justice” while others find it essential viewing, albeit triggering. It is worth noting that the series does not feature interviews with Depp or Heard. Director Emma Cooper shared in an interview with Netflix’s “You Can’t Make This Up” podcast that she found it fascinating how people can watch the same court proceedings and have completely different responses and opinions. Cooper’s goal was to present the fact that these two individuals passionately believed their own truths, even though those truths did not align. Depp v. Heard is currently available for streaming on Netflix.
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