A trial by TikTok and the death knell for MeToo. Who won Depp v Heard?
The IndependentThe latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. “People found the ins and outs and videos and you kind of saw a different person than the one the media portrayed him to be.” Danny the dog outside the courthouse on 26 May in support of Johnny Depp As far as cbatogivename is concerned, TikTok is essentially “a whole network of investigators and lawyers” who have dug into the case and found details that discredit Ms Heard’s claims. “It’s a very one-sided level of empathy which sees a lot of men who engage in negative behaviour benefit from it because people reason that they have been ostracised and deserve a second chance.” Johnny Depp testifies for the last time on 25 May As a result, not only has Mr Depp been “exonerated” he has actually “benefitted” from the online obsession over the case, she says. “And my concern is that it’s going to have an impact beyond whether Johnny Depp’s career is ruined or saved.” The way the trial is being consumed on social media – presented by the likes of internet sleuths and social media journalists – has also made facts more difficult to distinguish, he says. “That’s true in politics but it’s also true in terms of celebrity lawsuits.” No winner, just losers While Mr Depp may well have won the trial on social media, PR experts say that there can be no real winners in the case.