The development of Cancel Culture
By Beliz Mahmut
Image Credit: Unsplash
Over the last few years cancel culture has increased not just within the world of social media, but it has grown to play a huge part in today's society. However, many people are beginning to ask if it is doing more harm than good?
The term “cancel culture” is a phrase that according to the dictionary definition of Merriam Webster “Refers to the mass withdrawal of support from public figures or celebrities who have done things that aren't socially accepted today. This practice of "cancelling" or mass shaming often occurs on social media platforms such as Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook.”
Cancel culture can make or break your career. With the world of social media growing vigorously, in today's day and age social media is becoming our most powerful source of information.
Social media is powerful because it allows us to connect, share, and influence others easily. It influences our behaviour by shaping our opinions, beliefs, and actions through constant exposure and social validation. It can impact our self-esteem, decision-making, and even our mental health. It's important to be aware of its influence and use it mindfully. A few examples of how social media can influence behaviour are;
Social Validation: People often seek validation and approval from others on social media. The number of likes, comments, and shares can impact how we perceive ourselves and our self-worth.
FOMO (Fear of Missing Out): Seeing others' posts about exciting events or experiences can create a fear of missing out, leading us to engage in activities or events just to feel included or avoid feeling left out.
Trends and Viral Challenges: Social media can popularise trends and challenges, which can influence people to participate in activities they might not have considered otherwise.
Product Endorsements: Influencers and celebrities on social media often promote products, which can influence our purchasing decisions and consumer behaviour.
Cyberbullying: Social media can also be a platform for cyberbullying, where negative comments or actions can influence behaviour and in some cases dramatically impact our mental health.
There have been several notable examples of cancel culture in recent years. One example is the controversy surrounding certain celebrities or public figures who have faced backlash for their past or present actions or statements. Nella Rose is one example.
Nella has been “cancelled” over two incidents, the first incident being a result of some colourist tweets she posted at the age of thirteen. The tweets resurfaced in 2020 and Nella faced a lot of hate and backlash for her comments across all social platforms with several of her fans “cancelling” her. This incident fizzled out fairly quickly as she quickly released an apology video where she said “I genuinely believed that by cussing Somalian people, I would take the attention off of what people were saying about me”.
Image Credit: The Metro
Her second incident occurred in 2023 when Nella starred in the ITV show “I’m a celebrity - get me out of here”. Nella was joined by 11 other campmates, one being Fred Sirieix.
During her time on the show, Nella and Fred got into a heated conversation. Many viewers thought the conflict was caused mainly by miscommunication and misunderstanding when Nella was seen to lash out at Fred after he had said “I am not 26, I am old enough to be your father” Nella had taken offence to this comment as her dad had not long passed away.
After this episode was aired, Nella faced a lot of backlash and hate online and there were attempts to cancel her. Once leaving the jungle, Nella seems to have taken a step back from her social media slightly, however she still has her brand deals and youtube series with companies such as Pretty Little Thing and FootAsylum.
In some cases, cancel culture has led to consequences such as loss of endorsement deals, job opportunities, and public support.
It's important to note that cancel culture can have both positive and negative effects, depending on the situation.
The more positive view on, cancel culture is that it can be seen as a way to hold individuals accountable for their actions and promote social justice. Supporters argue that it gives a voice to marginalised communities, encourages change, and helps create a safer and more inclusive society. It can serve as a powerful tool for addressing systemic issues and promoting accountability.
Social influencer, Milan Churchill, described social media as a “toxic but highly beneficial world”. “When you make yourself a brand, it’s like sometimes people can forget that you’re human.” She then went on to explain what she thought were some of the more positives in the world of social media - “The network is amazing! Social media gives you access to people and opportunities that you probably wouldn’t even know existed without it.”
There have been many cases however, where social media has been much more toxic than beneficial, Caroline Flack being one example. Caroline committed suicide in February 2020.
Before she died, Caroline was charged with assault by beating and it was shortly after this that she committed suicide. According to the Guardian her reason for committing suicide was because “She knew she was being prosecuted and could not face the media coverage”.
Caroline feared the media’s response so much that she ended her own life, just so she wouldn’t have to face the negativity online.
There are many layers to the world of social media and cancel culture. It provides everyone with a platform to voice their thoughts and opinions, but these aren’t always positive.
So I guess the last question is where do we draw the line?
Social media platforms such as Instagram, Facebook and Tik Tok have put guidelines in place, in an attempt to cut down the negativity online but on websites such as Quora and MP Social a lot of people have said that they believe facebook is the strictest social media platform when it comes to censoring and banning inappropriate comments and actions. With platforms such as Twitter, now known as X, is said to be the least strict with what they allow.
Image Credit: Unsplash
Katrin Berry, a video producer in the sports industry said “These are really important things you need to keep in mind when working for a brand. Some of the public figures we’ve had to promote in our campaigns have a following so big, it’s impossible to avoid hate comments”
She then went on to say “You can’t completely avoid negativity online. People love a good scandal, it’s natural to us as humans to give more attention to something negative, in comparison to seeing positive things about someone. I’m convinced people would rather see someone get cancelled than see them be promoted.”
It could be argued that the increase in cancel culture is a reflection of the increasing sensitivity of our society. Whether this is a good or bad thing is yet to be determined.
Cancel culture has its negatives and positives depending on the extremes it gets to. Too much of anything can become toxic and in the case of cancel culture specifically, it will be interesting to see how it continues to affect the world of social media.