"That’s what abusers do, not victims" : En kvalitativ innehållsanalys av Johnny Depps fans kriskommunikation på sociala medier under rättegången Depp vs Heard.

Sammanfattning: In the aftermath of #MeToo, Amber Heard chose to share her experiences of sexual abuse and violence in the relationship with Johnny Depp in an article. Depp denied the allegations and claimed that the accusations were fabricated and therefore chose to sue Heard for defamation. The defamation trial between the ex-spouses began in 2022 and received much attention since it was broadcast live to the public. The lawsuit quickly went viral on social media where Depp's fans constructed and spread favorable narratives on Depp's behalf in order to restore his reputation. The purpose of the study is to examine, from a gender perspective, how fans of a public figure crisis communicated on social media during an ongoing trial following accusations of intimate partner violence. This is achieved by a qualitative content analysis where posts published by Depp's fans during the trial are analyzed based on the theories of postfeminism and Image Repair Theory. The study concluded that both Depp and Heard are portrayed based on male and female attributes to relate to the roles of victim and perpetrator more clearly. Heard is blamed and mocked, while Depp is celebrated and respected. Furthermore, there are also narratives that connect to misogynistic ideas that are hidden by, for example, discussions about equality and can be seen as a backlash against feminist successes.