What Is Cancel Culture?

By: Julia Porcu

                        Social media & word of mouth - their power in instigating cancel culture via Julia Porcu

Cancel culture to some can be seen as a way to hold accountability, but it has been taken too far.

This rejecting culture is a relevant threat to free speech and debate. It is essentially a kind of crowdsource attempt to boycott and ostracize individuals for their words or actions.

To be canceled means to be shunned from society or a community of people who consider you to be insensitive. For example, making sexist, racist, or homophobic comments, or expressing certain opinions on politics, businesses, or pop culture.

Brands, shows, and movies can even be “canceled” if people believe them to be offensive or problematic. It’s a form of public shame used mostly by Generation Z and Millennials. Over the last few years this social media “trend” was utilized to evaluate celebrities, companies, and media alike for political correctness.

This form of backlash acts to silence people who have big platforms on social media. A social media influencer can get “canceled” at the drop of a hat, and receive hateful words, messages, or comments from their followers/people on the platform. This can lead to serious mental issues amongst the accused individual. It is an unhealthy spiral that needs to be put to rest.

There is no justification for being brutal and cruel to someone based on their thoughts and opinions. At that point, the holding accountable turns into shaming. An easy solution would be to have a normal conversation and calmly discuss your differences.

Cancel culture ruins careers and the images of famous people. Being “canceled” has a very aggressive tone to it. It’s like online bullying times ten. Famous people get so much hate based on a story that could have easily been falsified. For example, the instance when Janet Jackson had part of her clothing ripped off by Justin Timberlake during her Super Bowl performance and she received all the backlash for it. Many shows, movies, and celebrities that you may know, have been “canceled” or shamed in the public eye.

Cancel culture also has the power to affect college students and silence them. There is a certain presence of fear among college students while in the classroom. Students often find themselves self-censoring in class or during conversations with peers, due to the fear of banishment by them.

According to researchers, both the accuser and the accused may feel excluded from their peers and that kind of social rejection can lead to academic struggles, low self-esteem, and a decrease in altruistic behaviors.

Next time you go to “cancel” someone, think about how it may make them feel no matter how much you disagree with them.