It’s been a tough few months for ASAP Rocky. The rapper and musician was embroiled in a felony case for two assault charges and had a potential 24 year prison sentence hanging over his head.

Thankfully for ASAP Rocky he was just found not guilty.

When this verdict spread across the internet, there was one uniting trend: fans on social media couldn’t stop joking and celebrating about the outcome, sparking a deluge of memes about the event.

This story is a fascinating glimpse into how fandom operates in the modern age, and how some live vicariously through celebrity. First though…

What Happened With The ASAP Rocky Case? What Was He Accused Of?

While this piece isn’t focused on the legal side of things, it’s useful to get some context about what happened with ASAP Rocky.

The rapper—whose real name is Rakim Meyers—faced two felony counts for assault with a deadly weapon. This reportedly comes from an altercation that took place in 2021 in California with a childhood called Terell Ephron, also known as ASAP Relli.

After rejecting a plea deal last month, ASAP Rocky (Rakim Meyers) could’ve faced up to 24 years in prison if found guilty.

Much to the joy of social media—and the rapper himself—this didn’t happen.

How Has The Internet Reacted To ASAP Rocky Being Found Not Guilty?

Unsurprisingly, music fans and interested parties have been heading over to social media to share memes and crack jokes about the ASAP Rocky case. One of the most common reactions references how the rapper ran to and embraced Rihanna, his partner, after the verdict:

While fans are sharing their straight-up elation at the verdict:

While others created memes referencing ASAP Relli’s reaction to ASAP Rocky being found not guilty:

What Does The Online Reaction the ASAP Rocky Case Verdict Mean?

Obviously fans of the rapper are happy about him being found not guilty, especially considering he was facing up to 24 years in prison if the case turned against him. Yet the way memes and jokes play feature in this reaction are particularly fascinating.

First up, while people are revelling following the verdict, the emotional intensity of reaction can be traced to a sense of loss.

Humanity is psychologically adverse to change. Loss aversion is a well-known cognitive bias that dictates we feel the impact of losing something more so than the gaining of an equal value item or experience.

In the ASAP Rocky case, this loss can be seen as fans being deprived of more music from the rapper. Someone they’ve grown up with simply disappearing from their lives.

This emotional connection is only deepened by the likely fact that many have formed a parasocial relationship with the rapper.

Intensified by the rise of social media, a parasocial relationship is a one-way friendship where individuals feel they know a pubic figure, despite simply following them online. This changes how many individuals view celebrities, changing them from far-off and isolated people, into someone viewed almost as a close friend.

While ASAP Rocky himself is famous (he has 20 million followers on an inactive Instagram account), his partner, Rihanna, is wildly popular, with the singer having 150 million on the same platform alone.

This relationship can potentially intensify and broaden the parasocial relationship some feel. People online can experience the stress of ASAP Rocky’s case through two figures, making them feel even more connected to events.

All this can come together to create a uniquely stressful environment.

Fans not only fear the loss of a musical connection, but can feel as though it’s their actual friends being threatened with a long prison sentence.

And this is where memes come in.

Various studies illustrate that people use humor as a coping mechanism, as it’s something that can “increase positive emotional states when dealing with stressful situations.”

In other words, by joking and making memes about an event like ASAP Rocky being found not guilty, people are relieving stress. Yes, they’re celebrating, but this is intensified by using humor to channel some of these more negative emotions. It’s like releasing a pressure valve.

Ultimately, many fans online are enthralled and excited about ASAP Rocky being found not guilty—and social media plays a vital role in how this occurs.

Platforms both increase the stress people feel about events like these and allow people to vent this emotion and deal with it. Which explains what we’re witnessing online.

ASAP Rocky has been found not guilty—and social media shows that fans couldn’t be happier.