J-14 Investigates: Cancel Culture

J-14: How would you describe cancel culture?

CB: “Canceling” a human being is much different than “canceling” a T.V. show or musical performance for negative ratings. Cancel culture operates from the perspective that negative behavior should be remedied with shunning. It seeks to dismiss and isolate a person entirely for a mistake they make.

J-14: What makes it especially

toxic?

CB: As humans, we all make mistakes. However, cancel culture is so dangerous because it deals with very black and white thinking. It takes away the potential for that person being shunned to grow and change because they aren’t given the chance to be forgiven for their actions or to learn from their mistake and move on.

J14: Why do you think we’ve seen a rise in cancel culture?

CB: Cancel culture has become popular over the past couple of years thanks to the rise of social media. It’s something that people are on 24/7 and is a place where people aren’t afraid to voice their opinions, which can result in them wanting to hold others accountable for their actions in a very public way.

J14: Why does cancel culture occur so much online?

CB: The detachment that social media platforms provide makes it all too easy to separate a person’s humanity from their screen name and cancel culture is ultimately what cyber bullying has been building up to.

J-14: Even though we tend to hear stories of celebrities, like Demi Lovato, expressing that they’ve been “canceled” by people, anyone can experience being “canceled,” right?

CB: Yes, anyone can experience being “canceled” — not just celebrities. In fact, it can be a very effective way for teenagers to adopt a mob mentality against another teen because peer pressure can be a powerful force. It can influence groups of people to act in ways they would never act individually. It’s basically another form of bullying.

J-14: What age is cancel culture seen the most in?

CB: I would say people ages 12 to 25 because they spend significant portions of their days living through a screen and are more impulsive and emotive about things they react to.

J14: Can being told that you’re “canceled” have negative side effects on your mental health?

CB: Yes, unfortunately, cancel culture has a history of sinking to the level of cyber bullying,