SINGAPORE: It’s been ten long days since a jury ruled on Jun 1 that actress Amber Heard had defamed ex-husband Johnny Depp by calling herself a domestic abuse victim.

Much has been written about how there are no winners here. It is hard to claim any sort of victory for either actor after a public airing in graphic detail of their spectacularly dysfunctional relationship.

Throughout the six weeks, millions tuned into the livestream of the trial in the United States. Millions more have seen viral memes, clips and compilations from trial footage, often in support of Depp.

YouTube videos invited us to watch the funniest or most shocking moments of the trial. TikTok clips captured reactions, even some re-enactments of scenes described in testimony. TikTok content tagged #justiceforjohnnydepp has amassed more than 20 billion views so far.

Such was the vitriol directed at Heard that one of her attorneys asserted that she believes the jury was influenced by the social media circus that “demonised” Heard.  “These people were giving her death threats,” said Elaine Bredehoft. “They threatened to microwave her baby.”

Did the onslaught of social media vitriol really influence the jury? Did the court of public opinion help Depp win? Lawyers for Heard said she planned to appeal the verdict.

But the former couple’s legal drama aside, what comes next for everyone else?

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE SURVIVORS AND FURIOUS FANS

One thing observers agree on is that this fiasco has sent a dangerous signal that those subject to domestic abuse must be “perfect victim” if they are to be believed. They must be irreproachable in every way, never fumble in recounting their memory of events, never standing up against their abuser to avoid appearing to have provoked retaliation.

But one silver lining seems to be that it might have empowered male domestic violence survivors to speak up. In a recording, Heard seemed to taunt Depp: “Tell them, ‘I, Johnny Depp, I’m a victim, too, of domestic violence’ … and see if people believe or side with you.” On the stand, Depp told the world: “Yes, I am.”

The hope is that the trial has shone a light on how domestic violence can happen to anyone, and that hard conversations about helping victims should continue.