Twitch Streamers are 'Reacting' to the Johnny Depp and Amber Heard Trial, and It's All Wrong

Reaction streams on Twitch are arguably the most engaging type of content put out by Just Chatting streamers. The category has, in one form or another, always existed on the internet, perhaps because it captures the attention of audiences in a way that other video content cannot. Online reactions create an environment in which audiences and content creators can share the experience of watching something for the first time. As far as what they react to, there have naturally been plenty of Twitch trends over the years, some of them good, some bad, and some downright weird. Most recently, however, the increase of live reactions to the Johnny Depp and Amber Heard defamation trial has come across as morally questionable at best. It’s true that Twitch users are within their right to react to whatever content they want to, whenever they want to. Practically no one will argue that this creative freedom should change. Still, this sort of trend does beg questions about what sort of content viewers want to see online. Given the Johnny Depp and Amber Heard lawsuit, it may be a good time to take a step back and reconsider the attitude toward online drama—and this applies…
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