Trending Topics: Johnny Depp and Amber Heard
While the term "trending" may technically be a new idea, trending topics have completely taken over social media platforms.
This particular topic, which falls under such a broad spectrum, made it difficult for me to choose a specific topic. And even though I had literally thousands of options, there is one topic, and two people, taking control of the internet right now that are trending on several social media platforms, across the world.
Johnny Depp is one of the most well-known and exceptional actors in this generation, he is known for his famous roles as Captain Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean, Willy Wonka in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Edward Scissorhands in Edward Scissorhands, The Mad Hatter in Alice in Wonderland, and Gilbert Grape in What's Eating Gilbert Grape.
Unfortunately, as a celebrity, you sacrifice your private life to the public eye, and because of this Johnny Depp's private relationships have also become a major part of his reputation as well.
Amber Heard is an American actress best known for her role in Aquaman as Mera.
Amber and Johnny Depp met on the set of "The Rum Diary" in 2009 and shortly started dating afterward. The couple was married in a private ceremony in 2015, but their marriage was short-lived when Amber Heard filed for divorce in 2017. The news of divorce immediately escalated when Heard "alleged in court papers that she was abused by her husband" throughout the course of their marriage.
Since their divorce, Amber Heard and Johnny Depp's relationship has become a trend on countless social media platforms and news mediums across the world. The two have publicly endured a libel trial, set a number of lawsuits against each other, and have had their lives turned upside down. But before we can dive into the trend itself, it's important to understand why this specific relationship has caught the attention of the whole world.
A few days after the request for spousal support from Depp, Heard alleges that Johnny Depp abused her and goes to court for a restraining order. Here, Heard alleged that Depp was verbally and physically abusive throughout their relationship stating,
After this statement was released, Depp and his lawyers took to the stand, claiming Heard's domestic abuse claims were "financially motivated". The years following the divorce left a messy and very public situation, and even after the divorce was finalized in 2017, the situation continued to be messy and public. At this time, Heard claimed her late reports about domestic abuse were to "protect her privacy and Johnny's career", even though police could not find any evidence of a crime or abuse. Depp experienced hatred and extreme backlash, nicknamed the "wife-beater" by the British tabloid The Sun.
Heard is not the only one to have made accusations of domestic abuse, since the divorce, Depp has released statements about alleged abuse from Heard throughout the course of their relationship as well, and many of Depp's friends, family, and employees have testified against Heard as the "aggressor" in their relationship. Even Amber Heard's former personal assistant testified that Heard "spit in her face in a fit of rage".
After years of accusations, pain, and misunderstandings, Johnny Depp and Amber Heard face off in court, one last time. The lawsuit itself is about whether Heard "libeled Depp when she wrote a 2018 op-ed piece in The Washington Post about domestic violence", where she referred to herself as a "public figure representing domestic violence".
What is so unfortunate about this topic, is that I can define it as a trending topic, too. Divorce is devastating, and experiencing years of pain in front of the public eye, does not make it any easier. But unfortunately, the outrageousness and public interest in this specific case, make it one of the world's most popular trends on social media.
Everyone, whether they have been following the case or are interested in the outcome, wants to know the truth. Everyone wants to have a side and opinion, and everyone wants to be involved in a drama that does not involve them.
Because so many Johnny Depp fans are alert throughout this trial, his and Heard's name are a consistent theme throughout social media. Logging on to TikTok, countless moments from the trial are available, with millions of views and comments.
Johnny Depp receives an outpour of support throughout this case, each hashtag featured on this TikTok is in support of him.
Even though a trial is no laughing matter, leave it to social media to make it one. In this TikTok, Amber Heard's defense attorney is explaining a very confusing series of events, that no one can understand. Because of her seemingly confusing and laughable defense, people on the internet show their continued support for Johnny Depp.
In this TikTok that went viral, Heard's defense attorney is back again with the confusing questions, making Johnny Depp's best friend laugh on the stand.
The ridiculousness of this trial is never-ending, and neither is the trend of talking about it. The trial and its global impact are not limited to a single platform, and the defamation of Johnny Depp is not being taken lightly.
On Twitter, one of the top trending hashtags right now is #JohnnyDeppDeservesJustice. Under this hashtag, fans send their support to the actor, with thousands of messages of love tweeted every day.
While the trial is an ugly ordeal, Depp's fans have taken it upon themselves to use his name to trend in a positive light. And it's working, every post I have seen in regards to this trial has been an outpour of support for Depp and a strong distaste for Heard.
On Instagram, #JohnnyDepp has been posted over 2 million times, by people all over the world. In these posts, fans continue to show their support, as well as share updates about the trial itself.
People share their unfiltered opinions about the trial and continue to keep this trial in the public eye.
As previously stated, divorce, domestic abuse, false accusations, and defamation are all incredibly difficult things to face as a human. Being a celebrity, your life is thrown into the public sphere for the opinions of millions of people to decide what kind of person you are. This is a tough trending topic surfacing the internet right now, but it remains a trend nevertheless.
Although Johnny Depp had no intentions of making his private struggles a part of the public domain, this trend has helped promote himself in a positive public image. Unintentionally becoming a part of a trend has completely impacted him and his image, creating an accidental public relations technique through social trends.
Comments
Post a Comment