The Memeification Of The Johnny Depp, Amber Heard Trial Needs To Stop

thegamer.com:

You may have heard that Johnny Depp and Amber Heard are currently embroiled in a domestic abuse trial. This is actually a civil trial wherein Depp sued Heard, and she countersued. This all links back to Heard writing an editorial about her trauma from abuse, in which Depp is not named but is also clearly the figure in question, and about a separate case wherein Depp (unsuccessfully) sued The Sun newspaper for calling him a 'wife-beater'. Heard testified on behalf of The Sun, and as a result the court agreed that he could legally be called a wife-beater in print. Despite this, Depp has long claimed that Heard was in fact the abuser, and that her actions are part of a long hoax campaign to avoid suspicion. Heard denies this, and it's these claims against her that give her grounds to countersue.

In short, this is a complex legal trial involving two incredibly famous and (previously) private people, in which criminal matters such as assault are being discussed, but as part of a civil suit rather than a criminal trial. It's an intensely complicated matter, and yet the place you're most likely to have heard about it is through TikTok.

Related: Pirates Of The Caribbean Doesn't Need Johnny Depp Anymore

TikTok can be used for educational purposes, of course. Practically every social media platform can. But that’s not the case here. It is being used for memes, reaction videos, and out of context clips being sold to us as light entertainment. This is perhaps the most literal the court of public opinion has ever been - all we are seeing in court is the public opinion, very little of the actual case. The more I think about it, the more disgusted I am.

I don't know which one of them is guilty. Both have admitted to behaviours that