Cancel culture has sparked debates among social communities for many years now, but is it as bad as we make it seem? Many view cancel culture as harmful, “over the top,” or just plain unnecessary. Influential individuals have shared on social media the side effects of life after being canceled; however, what if you simply didn’t do anything wrong in the first place? Cancel culture can assist in the consequences of exposing hostile behavior on social platforms.Â
Cancel- Shane Dawson
What happens when a creator is only canceled on the internet but not in real life? For example, Shane Dawson, a popular YouTuber who has now been awarded the opportunity to perform his live TV pilot “Cancelled” around the U.S. Just recently, the University of Houston booked Shane Dawson to perform at the Cullen Performance Hall. Dawson was previously canceled regarding his racist content, maltreatment towards friends, pedophilic behavior, and animal cruelty. Makes you think, “What a slap in the face to the victims of his actions.” But as long as there’s a profit, venues like the University of Houston Cullen Performance Hall will provide “negative” individuals a platform.
At times, when the internet is defeated, we can rely on the government to hold infamous perpetrators accountable. Before the internet had the opportunity to cancel a YouTube mother, Ruby Franke, who ran a family channel, she was arrested on 6 counts of aggravated child abuse. On the “8 Passengers” channel, content consisted of parenting, vacations, and family fun days, but what the family experienced behind the scenes was truly horrific. Children of the Franke family endured starvation, restraints, isolation, and religious abuse; only after her 12-year-old son escaped to a neighbor did her actions, along with Jodi Hildebrandt, become news to the public. Being successful on social media doesn’t protect you from retribution. What if the next-door neighbor were like some individuals who hold youtubers to a high regard and never called the cops? Thanks to him, the children are now safe, and Ruby Franke will never be seen favorably in the public eye. Although she wasn’t technically canceled in internet terms, she was still held accountable and lost her status on social media.
Cancel culture only affects the “individual” when their social status, everyday life, and wealth have been affected. Another infamous example of why we should be comfortable with cancel culture is Jeffree Star. Throughout many years, Jeffree Star has been in the middle of controversy. Jeffree has been canceled for his racist, misogynistic, and violent remarks in posted content. Not only have recent issues deterred his career, but past predator behavior from 2008 caught up to him in 2020. Star’s victim, Gage Arthur, who accused him of sexual assault during his time of homelessness, came forward during the height of Star’s controversy. Unfortunately, the sexual assault accusations haven’t gone anywhere, possibly due to Jeffree bribing those who came forward about other sexual assault incidents, including Gage. However, Star did lose his partnership with Morphe, a major brand deal, in 2020, which additionally led him to post less on his channel until more recent times. Jeffree Star is persistent in having a platform no matter what, so what did canceling him do? It made his victim feel heard, shared his indiscretions with the world, and made him a prime example of how your actions can affect your profit.Â
Cancel culture on social media holds the public accountable regardless of their status. Social media has a variety of content ranging from world news to entertainment. Additionally, social media platforms provide a space to express our right to freedom of speech during times of injustice. During the height of the Black Lives Matter movement, racial equity campaigns were posted on social media from around the world to raise awareness. Leading to the cancellation of individuals who committed racist actions, which resulted in losing their jobs or being kicked out of their university. When we hold those with influential status accountable for their actions regarding racism, homophobia, and/or predatory behavior, etc., we highlight reasons why we shouldn’t idolize celebrities or influencers. While cancel culture puts a spotlight on societal issues, we should encourage ourselves to be aware of our own prejudiced behavior.Â
Let this be a reminder that we, the people, have the power to hold the standard of acceptable and unacceptable behavior. The lack of cancel culture would create a distressing environment for its users (even more than it is now). We have to think: if there aren’t any boundaries regarding online content, how bad can things get? While it can be cruel, cancel culture can help us realize that our actions have consequences.
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