Cancel Culture: The New Age of Accountability

by Maddison Day 

Cancel culture is a term used to describe the “calling out” or “exposure” of controversial actions performed by celebrities and influential figures, specifically those who are in the limelight. In recent years, almost everyone has come to a similar conclusion that cancel culture can be extremely damaging to people’s careers and families if not done correctly. But this is a new age of accountability, and holding celebrities accountable for what they’ve done

The term “cancel culture” was coined around the early 2010s (Wikipedia). Many people may remember the #MeToo movement, which focused on men and women calling out their sexual abusers who tended to be influential figures. The Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement was another movement which included the calling out of law enforcement or those in power who treated African Americans with social injustice and oppression. Both of these cultural movements sparked a feeling among citizens of unrest and unease. Many might say that this was around the time that society started to call out youtubers and influencers for untasteful actions in the past, particularly those who used racial and homophobic slurs, or made offensive and untasteful jokes towards minorities. 

It's safe to say that cancel culture is a way to keep celebrities accountable, but sometimes it can go too far. “We have a tendency sometimes to say things via social media or other platforms that maybe we wouldn't say if we were face to face with someone.” (University of Central Florida). This is a great point to bring up, since one of the main flaws about cancel culture is its use of technology, and how one can hide behind a screen and type whatever they want, instead of actually doing research to make sure everything stated is correct. Cancel culture is usually a lot of false accusations that, without proven in the court of law, can just be considered hearsay or defamation. When you take these two things into account, mixed with the wildfire-like ways of the internet, you can have some serious and threatening claims that may not always be true. “When you have these forms of public shaming [oftentimes through] filming these interactions, it turns social issues into something that is completely individualized,” Koontz, professor at University of Central Florida said, “It puts great responsibility on an individual, and it does not [always] encourage actual societal change. We haven’t taken care of the larger institutional or systemic issues.”

With all things considered, cancel culture is inevitably one of the biggest areas of critique on the internet. Some take to cancel culture as part of their political agenda, and others believe its cause is stronger than people take it for. Either way, next time you think of writing that tweet or making that call out video, it's important to do your own research and make sure what you're saying is fact, not opinion. 

Sources: Wikipedia, University of Central Florida Pegasus Magazine, YouTube