What Is Cancel Culture
Social media is the centre of Gen Z’s attention; we’re always scrolling, tapping, and liking but amidst the online networking chaos, the prevalent idea of cancel culture arose. Cancel culture is defined as when someone is pushed out of social or professional circles in a modern type of ostracism. The term ‘cancel culture’ came into circulation in the late 2010s and early 2020s and has mostly negative connotations. Cancel culture was originally used as a way to call people out for being prejudiced or hateful towards a certain group of people, but now, it has gone from calling someone out for major wrongdoing to ostracizing them completely. The world has gone from holding accountability for all of the antis and phobics online to name-calling and borderline bullying. The label ‘cancelled’ is put on anything that bothers anyone in the slightest.
How Does One Get Cancelled?
Public figures with a large following are often “cancelled” due to alleged harmful actions or remarks. This outcry stems from claims of violent, sexist, racist, homophobic, or transphobic remarks. People react differently to cancellations, with some showing vulnerability and listening, while others become defensive. The public outcry against these individuals is significant. At its core, cancel culture is about shame for the person being cancelled.
Effects of Cancel Culture
These intense feelings grip a person’s self-image and lower their self-esteem. Cancelling often becomes bullying. This further creates feelings of loneliness, anxiety, and depression in the cancelled person. The rapid growth of a trending topic can, in a matter of hours, irreversibly change someone’s life for the worse. Some aspects of cancel culture can be useful in holding people and organizations accountable for bad behaviour. Under the same breath, it can take bullying to a new level, damaging the mental wellbeing of everyone involved.
Solution to Cancel Culture
There isn’t anyone who will be able to completely exile and cancel culture as everyone is entitled to freedom of speech, however, there is an acronym that is easy to understand and applies to everyone’s everyday lives. CBC meaning Contemplate Before Correcting is a way to stop and retract your thoughts before permanently posting something that you may regret online. Let’s say one finds themselves in a situation where one sees a video of someone spewing hateful slurs towards a certain community online, first, you should contemplate whether or not it is worth going out of your way to connect. If you do find that action is necessary in the situation, decide how you would like to proceed, would you rather message the person or maybe report the video?
Conclusion
There are millions of different ways to go about it, just remember that whatever you post online is fairly difficult to take back. It can have positive effects, such as raising awareness, promoting social justice, and challenging the status quo, but also negative effects, such as reducing nuance, stifling dialogue, and harming mental health. Cancel culture is a complex and evolving phenomenon that reflects the power and pitfalls of digital communication and democracy.
