Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsDefinitionOriginReasons for CancelingCancel Culture ExamplesPositive ImpactsMental Health EffectsProtect YourselfCan You Avoid Being Canceled?
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Definition
Origin
Reasons for Canceling
Cancel Culture Examples
Positive Impacts
Mental Health Effects
Protect Yourself
Can You Avoid Being Canceled?
Close
What Is Cancel Culture?
Cancel culture is a form of boycott. It is the removal or “canceling” of a person, organization, product, brand, or anything else due to an issue that a community or group disapproves of or finds offensive.
One definition of cancel culture is “the popular practice of withdrawing support for…public figures and companies after they have done or said something considered objectionable or offensive.” This canceling is often “performed on social media in the form ofgroup shaming.”
In short, to be canceled means that a person or group decides to stop supporting someone or something based on a transgression that is either actual or perceived.
Call-Out Culture vs. Cancel CultureThese terms are often used interchangeably, but there is a difference. Call-out culture is about calling attention to someone’s wrongdoing and giving them a chance to learn from and correct the issue. Cancel culture does not give this opportunity and, instead, immediatelylabels them as bad.
Call-Out Culture vs. Cancel Culture
These terms are often used interchangeably, but there is a difference. Call-out culture is about calling attention to someone’s wrongdoing and giving them a chance to learn from and correct the issue. Cancel culture does not give this opportunity and, instead, immediatelylabels them as bad.
Origin of Cancel Culture
In earlier days, the word “cancel” was often used on social media as a way for a person who was part of the Black LGBTQ+ community to show disapproval of another person’s actions.It wasn’t until later that canceling someone involved boycotting them professionally.
Some of the top reasons cited for canceling include:
Some examples of cancel culture include:
Positive Impact of Cancel Culture
Cancel culture can help combat wrongdoings andaddress inequalities. In 2016, for example, many members of the film community boycotted the Oscars because of the lack of diversity among nominees. This helped promote social change and, in 2019, the Oscars set a record for the most nominations for Black directors ever.
A community that unites for a common cause can be empowering. It can also make people think twice before behaving inappropriately or posting potentially offensive thoughts and opinions.
Mental Health Effects of Cancel Culture
Effects on the Canceled
Unfortunately, canceling often turns intobullying. Like bullying, if you’ve been canceled, you may feel ostracized, socially isolated, and lonely. And research shows thatlonelinessis associated with higher anxiety, depression, and suicide rates.
If you are canceled, it can also feel as if everyone is giving up on you before you’ve even had the chance toapologize(let alone change your behavior). Instead of creating a dialogue to help you understand how your actions hurt others, the cancelers shut off all communication, essentially robbing you of the opportunity tolearn and grow from your mistakes.
To grow and become a better person, it’s important to realize you’ve made a mistake, attempt to fix that mistake, and then take the proper steps to ensure that youdon’t make the same mistake again.
Effects on the Canceler
You have the right toset your own boundariesand to decide what uplifts and what offends you. You also have the right to decide to whom and what you give your attention, money, and support.
But canceling the offending person (or brand) doesn’t always cause them tochange their beliefsor lead to lasting change. It can even make them dig in their heels in an effort to defend their ego and reputation.
Effects on the Bystander
Cancel culture doesn’t just affect the canceled and the cancelers. It can also wreak havoc on onlookers’ mental health.
Bystanders might also worry that others will find something in their pasts to use against them. Or they may fear that every word they say or write is going to be examined under a microscope and construed as offensive, even if it wasn’t meant to be.
The idea that cancel culture has caused some people to fall silent or not feel comfortable sharing what is on their minds has caused some to debate whether it presents an issue with the right to free speech.
How to Protect Your Mental Health
Though you can’t control how others behave, youcancontrol your own behavior (as well as how you respond to negativity). Here are some actions you can take to help protect your mental health with regard to cancel culture:
Consider that everyone has different backgrounds, experiences, and beliefs. Although yours have caused you to view the world one way, not everyone has that same view. Being aware of this (andopen-minded) can help keep you from saying or doing something that makes you a target.
It’s also helpful to remember that you don’t have to intend to be offensive in order to offend.Perceptionbecomes reality, so if someone perceives your words or actions as offensive, it doesn’t matter what you intended. The damage is done.
So, instead of trying to convince others that you didn’t mean to offend them, recognize that they are offended and work to find ways to move forward. Learn from the experience and use it to help you become a stronger, more caring, and empathetic person.
A Word From Verywell
Some aspects of cancel culture can be useful in holding people and organizations accountable for bad behavior. On the flip side, it can take bullying to a new level, damaging the mental well-being of everyone involved.
The key to overcoming any sort of ostracism or rejection is to not allow the things that are said or done to define who you are as a person. And don’t be afraid to reach out for help. Having someone in your corner can help youfeel more connectedand less alone.
The Social Media and Mental Health Connection
12 Sources
Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Dictionary.com.Cancel culture: What does cancel culture mean?
Romano A.Why we can’t stop fighting about cancel culture.Vox.
Clark MD.DRAG THEM: A brief etymology of so-called “cancel culture”.Communic Public. 2020;5(3-4):88-92. doi:10.1177/2057047320961562
Vogels E, Anderson M, Porteus M, et al.Americans and ‘cancel culture’: Where some see calls for accountability, others see censorship, punishment. Pew Research Center.
Camero K.What is ‘cancel culture’? J.K. Rowling controversy leaves writers, scholars debating.Miami Herald.
Ali R.‘There is no winning’: Chrissy Teigen opens up about being in the ‘cancel club’.USA Today.
Collins KA.The 2019 Oscar nominations are a long-overdue net win for black filmmakers.Vanity Fair.
Beutel ME, Klein EM, Brähler E, et al.Loneliness in the general population: prevalence, determinants and relations to mental health.BMC Psychiatry. 2017;17(1):97. doi:10.1186/s12888-017-1262-x
Dudenhoefer N.Is cancel culture effective?. University of Central Florida.
University of Pennsylvania.Free speech advocate discusses growing talk of ‘cancel culture’.Penn Today.
Hunt MG, Marx R, Lipson C, Young J.No more FOMO: Limiting social media decreases loneliness and depression.J Soc Clin Psychol. 2018;37(10):751-768. doi:10.1521/jscp.2018.37.10.751
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