Social Media and the Depp vs. Heard Legal Process
Social Media and the Depp vs. Heard Legal Process

Author(s): Tsvetelina Dzhambazova
Subject(s): Social Sciences, Media studies, Communication studies
Published by: Факултет по журналистика и масова комуникация, Софийски университет „Св. Кл. Охридски”
Keywords: social media; media coverage; Twitter; domestic abuse; disinformation
Summary/Abstract: The present article analyzes a new media phenomenon: a story coming from social media makes the headlines in traditional media. These are news, which became so popular in social media that journalists simply could not ignore them. This media phenomenon is illustrated through the defamation trial between the actors Johnny Depp and Amber Heard in the spring of 2022. On its own, this case goes beyond the typical celebrity legal battle and raises questions about the dissemination of disinformation in social media and about the repercussions of the legal decision as a possible precedent in domestic abuse cases. The article also reviews the role of the bot and fake accounts in sharing information about the two concerned parties in the legal process.

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