Johnny Depp-Amber Heard civil trial puts focus on intimate partner violence and abuse

If there’s one thing that the Johnny Depp-Amber Heard civil trial has shown us, it’s that social media can take the deadly serious topic of domestic violence — and make it even worse.

As anyone who has even casually followed the trial knows, the court testimony — as well as the photographic evidence of Heard’s injuries and audio evidence of Depp’s verbally abusive tirades — were difficult to see.

But it’s been a combination of social-media influencers, celebrities, diehard Depp fans, bots and others who stand to profit who have managed to turn the internet against Heard.

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This is how The New Yorker broke it down last month: “The precise demographics of the pro-Depp coalition are diverse, if uncertain in their exact proportions … According to Wired, the hashtag #JusticeforJohnnyDepp has surpassed ten billion views on TikTok. Parody videos of Heard’s emotional testimony are already a TikTok cliché … NBC News has reported on the YouTube creators who pivoted to anti-Heard videos when they realized how much users and the algorithm liked them.”

(Former NSYNC singer Lance Bass posted one of those parody videos reenacting Heard’s testimony — then quickly deleted it after it sparked a wave of backlash.)

The New York Post listed which celebrities had weighed in with opinions on whom they were supporting:

In Depp’s corner:

• Chris Rock

• Ireland Baldwin

• Joe Rogan

• Bill Burr

• Jennifer Aniston

• Eva Green

Heard’s supporters include:

• Howard Stern

• Ellen Barkin

• Julia Fox

One…