If you’re reading this, you have likely engaged with some form of social media in the last decade. No matter what the era, internet or otherwise, people have walked headfirst into controversies that have had a cascading effect on their lives thereafter. This new ever-connected age, however, has made just about all of us exposed to this ‘controversial’ tangent.
With the likes of Twitter, Instagram, and even Clubhouse now, people have become more outspoken about socio-political issues, and our world appears more polarised than ever. A second and a half is enough for an entire cult to form, and enough to collectively target someone’s social media presence as a result of a difference in opinion.
But what exactly is Cancel Culture? Ironically, something used to counter misogyny and bigoted actions, the very roots of this cultural phenomenon lie with a misogynistic joke from the 1991 movie New Jack City. In a scene, Nino Brown, played by Wesley Snipes says, “Cancel that b****. I’ll buy another one” while referring to his girlfriend whom he abuses and causes to break down. Lil Wayne brought this reference back in 2010 and we have seen the rest take flight first hand.
While initially limited to public figures losing their popularity or clout, the phenomenon has gone beyond this definition. It applies to just about anyone with an opinion, an online presence, and a number of ‘followers’. Spanning from J.K. Rowling’s very problematic anti-trans statements to the word ‘cancel’ simply being thrown about anywhere and everywhere to shut someone up: there’s no doubt it has taken over the internet.
People have become quick to take sides on either end of the spectrum whenever a person is under fire. This is how “cancel culture” has developed such a ubiquitous presence. It’s a lot easier for people to get shunned and boycotted, and for the influence to spread like wildfire. We humans are duly devoted to our herd mentalities and prefer not to think too much about things. “Oh, my friends canceled this guy? I don’t wanna know what the issue is, but let me just jump onto this canceling bandwagon or I’ll be left behind!”
While the question of right and wrong and the ethical grey areas is always debated – I find the idea of canceling someone absolutely appalling. Resorting to social media trials and name-calling from behind fake accounts has never led to anything good. No problems have been sorted, and it has only planted bitterness in the minds of people who feel forced to take sides and hence blow things out of proportion.
The idea of taking the onus on oneself to deliver social justice, to ostracise anyone through social media is highly problematic. Publicly calling someone out is one thing, but it’s impossible to control the reaction thereafter which ends up taking away from the intention of the actual problem. While it’s important for people to face the consequences of the wrongs they commit, it doesn’t give others hiding behind their screens with skewed biases the right to be the judge, jury, and executioner.
This long-standing debate over this strange self-righteous practice has always revolved around subjectivity. It’s been reiterated that certain people deserve to be canceled, to be made an example out of. However, we fail to recognize the deep-seated implications of these on either side of the spectrum. The message or the very reason for someone’s ‘cancellation’ is often lost in the whirlwind of gossip, sensationalizing, and performative debate.
On the other hand, those called out most definitely do not learn from their actions and get even more polarised in order to build a case in their defense. It has also given extremists and many right-wing advocates the tools to take conversations and statements out of context. It has given them a misleading idea, harming the very ethos of democracies, producing more noise than required and throwing minorities and fundamental rights under the bus.
More importantly, the result is almost never any accountability on the part of the perpetrator. So-called ‘canceled’ people or celebrities gain enough social capital on one side of the spectrum that the call to cancel them ends up merely giving them another road to popularity. The reason behind this is that the practice at its very base seems flawed. That people are too quick to arrive at conclusions for the sake of argument. It does more harm than good to those actually striving to make a difference by addressing questionable statements or actions of people with a massive influence on society.
In the last few years, while the number of hashtags canceling someone have increased manifold, people have also begun to notice the shortcomings of conforming to this modern form of serving justice. While what’s deemed to be offensive changes every day for different groups of people, the fear of being canceled is holding people back from really exercising free speech. Some might say this is a positive result, but surprisingly, it’s the ones doing the canceling who are afraid to speak up because “what if the wrong group of people gets the wrong idea?”
Another grave ramification has been politicized collectives wreaking havoc on those participating in any form of social spar. Journalists, influencers, and activists are at the center of this targeted circle. The normalization of calling to boycott gives these very polarized people the courage to threaten people publicly or through personal messaging, while garnering support from a strong like-minded crowd.
So the question remains -are we canceling cancel culture? I’d like to believe so. There is an urgent need to re-examine the inveterate impacts of social media policing not just in our lives but the very ideas we stand for. We also have to drop the mob mentality and the desire to feel validated via these inherently divisive practices that plague the internet and hence our society today. Only then can people actually causing harm be brought to justice without getting a host of people lost in the blame game.