Cancel Culture

“You’re Cancelled!” – Cancel Culture and its Implications 

 

What is cancel culture? 

 

Human beings are inherently social creatures that rely on social communities to survive. We want to be members of a social circle and appreciate having a shared sense of belonging with others who share our values whether it is other parents, dog owners, Toronto Maple Leafs fans, or Bachelor Nation. In recent years, it has become possible to threaten our sense of social belonging by being “cancelled”. Cancel culture refers to the practice of engaging in mass cancelling as a way of expressing disapproval and exerting social pressure (Merriam-Webster). This new culture can serve to de-platform prominent celebrities, politicians, public figures, and businesses as a result of controversial or offensive statements or behaviours. It can also occur on a smaller scale with individuals who can be ‘cancelled’ based on their views or things that they’ve said or done that others may not agree with. Cancel culture follows a predictable pattern – an individual says or does something, and is met with public outrage that effectively destroys their likeness in society. This backlash can lead to hateful comments in person or on their social media platforms or can result in being uninvited or shunned from social events. The social impact of being cancelled can have significant effects on the individual’s career, social connections, relationships, and overall mental health and well being.  

The cancel culture debate 

Although cancel culture often has a negative connotation, it can have positive implications for accountability and social change. Social media can be a tool for self-expression, allowing people to speak up against racist, sexist, or other unacceptable behaviours. It allows the public to hold powerful and prominent figures accountable for hateful or bigoted views. It gives many marginalized communities a voice in the face of injustice and can be used as a tool to bring about social change. A powerful example of this cultural phenomenon is the #MeToo movement. This movement was created on social media to amplify the voices of women to call out their abusers when traditional efforts to hold them accountable failed. Social media has fueled public condemnation of many famous and powerful men, most notably the celebrated Hollywood film producer Harvey Weinstein. Despite countless sexual assault allegations dating back to the 1980’s, Weinstein was only charged for his crimes in 2018 (Carlsen et al, 2018; Rummler, 2020). Without the power of social media, Weinstein and many others would likely maintain a position of prestige and power and the voices of countless women would remain unheard (Carlsen et al, 2018; Rummler, 2020).   

While cancel culture can be an important tool used for activism and social change, it has quickly progressed far beyond this phenomenon. Where it was previously focused on powerful public figures and social movements, online humiliation and shaming has since become the “go-to” means of voicing disapproval against anyone – businesses, friends, or even strangers.  

Even if you are not active on social media, you have probably experienced the familiar wave of panic and embarrassment when you’ve said something you shouldn’t have, or didn’t mean. In real life, such incidents can likely be repaired through a private conversation to address the behaviour. However, in an online space, the call-out has become a spectacle of its own and can reach the screens of people who do not know you or the context of the situation. This can lead to bullying online and, in some cases, can extend to real world harassment as well. Additionally, since context is crucial for understanding any given situation, making judgements or cancellations based on limited or incomplete data is likely to be problematic.  

Implications of cancel culture on mental health  

Although speaking our minds and expressing concerns about behaviours and actions we don’t agree with can be a healthy way to assert ourselves and set appropriate boundaries, it is easy for this to become unproductive and cross over into bullying or harassment (especially when we have the anonymity and distance of doing it online). In fact, retaliation against a cancelled individual often ends up being more severe than the original behaviour itself (Guardian News and Media, 2019). This trend mirrors mob mentality, where individuals are influenced by the masses and get easily carried away to the point of over-punishing people (Guardian News and Media, 2019). What may start out as a well-intentioned conversation can quickly evolve into mass public shaming and social isolation. Furthermore, these reactions are often based on limited and incomplete data, and take an all-or-nothing approach to the situation which is extremely problematic. It is human to make mistakes, and living in fear of public reactions to potential errors in judgement is draining and damaging to mental health. This phenomenon can also unfairly penalize an individual and interfere with the ability to grow and learn from our mistakes. Whether we like to admit it or not, human beings are flawed and we will all make mistakes. If we are living in constant fear of being harshly punished for such mistakes it is difficult to accept, learn, and grow.   

The negative effects of cyber bullying have been the focus of significant research; it has been found that individuals targeted by cyberbullying report increased depressive symptoms, anxiety, loneliness, suicidal ideation, and physiological symptoms (Nixon,  2014). These links between cancel culture and mental health concerns also extend to self-esteem, identity formation, relationships, and social responsibility (Newport Institute, 2022). Young victims of cancel culture experience mass social isolation, and may have long term issues trusting themselves, others, and struggle to form connections or belonging amongst their peers (Newport Institute, 2022). 

These harmful mental health effects are not only limited to the “cancelled” individual. Bystanders watching the cancellation occur may feel helpless to help or may experience anxiety that they will be next (Rutledge, 2021).  Moreover, constantly viewing and engaging in negative and hateful content online can also have poor mental health effects and make you feel more negative. If the first thing you do when you wake up in the morning is read negative online comments, you will start each day feeling negatively (Cuncic, 2022)!

Healthy ways to cope with online negativity  

If you feel that cancel culture, or any form of negativity online, is affecting your mental health, what can you do about it? Here are some strategies you can consider if you are witnessing or experiencing cancel culture (Cuncic, 2022):  

• Be choosey with your social media platforms: Some platforms are more susceptible to negative comments, especially those with anonymity. If the apps you are using consistently promote negativity or cause stress and anxiety, it may be beneficial to find alternative apps. Instagram is notorious for having brutal comment sections under photos—VSCO, a similar photo app, keeps likes private and does not have a comment section. It provides a safer space to share your photos freely without the opinions of others interfering. 

• Mute comment sections: Many apps have added a feature to limit comments to specific users, or turn off comment sections completely. 

• Be mindful of algorithms: Many apps like Tiktok have mastered an algorithm that tracks what you interact with and floods similar content onto your feed. If you are engaging in content relating to a cancellation, your whole feed may suddenly be flooded with endless Tiktoks about that topic. This creates a “tunnel vision” effect, making it very hard to get perspective on the situation from alternative points of view. Try to engage with a variety of content to gain a more well-rounded view of an issue before drawing your own conclusions. 

• Set reasonable limits to social media time: Although social media can be a positive space promoting social connection, it can also be addictive, and it can be easy to get sucked into online drama. Try to set screen time limits for yourself so you don’t fall into the habit of endless scrolling. To help hold yourself accountable; many phones allow users to set screen time limits to specific apps. 

• Get educated on important topics: As discussed, one of the benefits of cancel culture is that it can hold individuals accountable and promote social change. If you are truly passionate about a movement, find meaningful ways to get involved while also researching and educating yourself. This helps you to build your own strong values and beliefs, making it less likely to be swayed by others’ opinions.  

• Invest in other ways to spend your time: Investing time into developing new hobbies is a great way to lower your screen time! Try out things that make you feel good like art, crafting, yoga, or any other form of physical activity!  

---

Authors: Emma Weber, BSc and Dr. Dubravka Gavric, C.Psych. 

References 

• 1. Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Cancel culture definition & meaning. Merriam-Webster. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cancel%20culture  
  2. Carlsen, A., Salam, M., Miller, C. C., Lu, D., Ngu, A., Patel, J. K., & Wichter, Z. (2018). #MeToo brought down 201 powerful men. Nearly half of their replacements are women. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/10/23/us/metoo-replacements.html  
  3. Rummler, O. (2020). Global #MeToo movement has resulted in 7 convictions, 5 charges of influential figures. https://www.axios.com/2019/09/01/global-metoo-movement-convictions-charges  
  4. Guardian News and Media. (2019). Call-out culture: How to get it right (and wrong). The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2019/nov/01/call-out-culture-obama-social-media  
  5. Nixon C. L. (2014). Current perspectives: the impact of cyberbullying on adolescent health. Adolescent health, medicine and therapeutics, 5, 143–158.    https://doi.org/10.2147/AHMT.S36456 
  6. How cancel culture psychology and toxic tribalism impact young adult mental health. Newport Institute. (2022). https://www.newportinstitute.com/resources/mental-health/cancel-culture-psychology/  
  7. Rutledge, P. B. (2021). Cancel culture: Accountability or bullying?. Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/positively-media/202103/cancel-culture-accountability-or-bullying  
  8. Cuncic, A. (2022). Mental health effects of reading negative comments online. Verywell Mind. https://www.verywellmind.com/mental-health-effects-of-reading-negative-comments-online-5090287