3 old-school institutions helped make the internet firestorm around the Depp-Heard trial

There's a theory of awful internet behavior that goes like this: Sometimes social media is great for helping people connect, bringing new voices into the public sphere and exposing injustices of what we used to call "in real life." But sometimes the internet takes existing social forces and amplifies them to the point of creating a feedback loop that detaches its participants from reality, making IRL more unreal by the day.

Johnny Depp's successful defamation lawsuit against ex-wife Amber Heard, who accused Depp of abusing her, has become one of those moments. In recent weeks, many feminist observers have become dismayed as the trial served as a platform for an exceptionally vicious online hatefest against Heard, whom Depp also accused of abusing him, which some have taken as signs of a backlash against the #MeToo movement.

The trial marked the culmination of several digital trends: toxic online celebrity fandoms, women in particular; a culture of on platforms such as TikTok; monetization features on platforms," as NBC News tech and culture reporter Kat Tenbarge observed. "As a result, Amber's evidence has been largely ignored." Some have argued that the fact that the jury wasn't sequestered may have left them exposed to the ubiquitous online commentary at home, possibly improperly influencing their findings against Heard.