The internet is in an uproar over Johnny Depp losing libel case to Amber Heard. What is unique about the outcry is it has caused communities that are often adverse to each other to come together.
A British newspaper The Sun published an article “A Wife Beater” in April 2018. This article was written in opposition to American actor Johnny Depp. Following the article, Johnny Depp filed a libel case against the newspaper’s editor Dan Wootton for Depp’s defamation. It is considered the biggest English Libel trial of the 21st century and it continued for 16 days. Depp denied all the allegations, insisting these allegations were an elaborate hoax.
Sadly for Johnny, of the 14 allegations against him, 12 were proven substantially true. Consequently, Johnny lost the case, leaving the court empty handed.
The fallout of the case has resulted in Johnny being removed from the Fantastic Beasts franchise. The studio has hinted at casting Mad Mikkelsen as a replacement. However, Amber Heard is still slated for a return in the Aqua man series with DC. This created the seedbed of antagonism resulting in an internet outcry.
Sometimes the internet is your foe and other times it can be your best friend. The internet has spoken. With multiple memes, videos, gifs, and the hashtags, #justiceForJohnnyDepp and #JusticeForJohnny. A number of petitions at Change.org have been filed to restore Johnny to his role in Fantastic Beasts along with threats to boycott Warner Bros.
What is unusual is the memes, posts, and videos in favor of Johnny have been trending on multiple platforms including Reddit, imgur, 9gag, and Twitter. Occasionally on Skrollo, posts trend from one platform to another but it is a rare sight to see the solidarity of these communities in a united front.
Considering the underlying contempt from the flame war of 2012 between Reddit and 9gag, it’s refreshing to see them fighting in unison against this injustice. Though internet communities are inherently tribal, nothing brings people together like the threat of having Jack Sparrow played by someone else.
One of the main targets of this united front was the Sun Mobile on Android. Reddit, 9gag, and imgur called upon their Indian brethren to destroy the review rating of the app. To put it plainly, the Indian’s responded like the Huorns at the battle of Helms Deep and brought the Sun’s Mobile app rating down to 1.5, though as of today 11/13/20 the rating has recovered to just over 2 stars. A similar attack was levied against TikTok for Android in May of 2020, which brought the platform’s review rating to 1.5 stars and also utilized the strength of Indian internet users. Perhaps the Sun will respond, perhaps not, but what is important is that unity among tribal platforms expressed in internet activism can shift cultural perceptions.
Will things change for Johnny? It’s likely that his acting career will suffer in the short term, but internet loyalty is not to be taken lightly. If Depp plays his next few career choices wisely, he will do well. He may go down in history as a beloved icon like cats, bacon, or Keanu Reeves. That kind of internet love is priceless.
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