Cancellation culture: what it is and how it affects freedom of expression

In recent times, a digital phenomenon has proliferated that can have very serious repercussions on people's lives. It's all about cancel culture.

In the following paragraphs we will try to find out what exactly this mechanism implies, what it is based on, what is the process that follows and above all, what are the consequences for the sufferer, reviewing some examples.

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What is cancel culture?

A famous actress is abruptly fired from the fashion series, following statements of support to a controversial politician and for his controversial opinions on the situation of the coronavirus pandemic. coronavirus. A renowned writer takes a position on a debate on sexuality and hordes of former followers are enraged and call to burn her books.

A director of a major telecommunications company makes a bad joke on Twitter that quickly goes viral and is promptly fired as a result. These are just a few examples (all of them real) of what the consequences of cancel culture represent.

Cancel culture is a relatively recent concept. This expression refers to the act of "cancelling" a person, invalidating her opinions and practically her existence in all social areas and, All this, as a result of the publication of a comment or support for a specific position on a specific topic, generally through the networks. social.

In other words. Cancel culture means that public exposure of certain ideas or making an out of place comment can trigger a series of reactions in some people who, in an active and deliberate way, will make said publication visible, on many occasions attaching information from the private life of these people.

As a last resort, Said process can lead, at a minimum, to the public derision of the person, who can see how his publication has gone viral and has reached unimaginable levels of viewing. And, at most, with consequences for his personal life, such as the loss of his job, since the persecutor group will have pressured the company to take action and not have such a person in their template.

How is it possible for a person to lose her job because of a personal post on the Internet? Unfortunately, for economic reasons. A private company is going to watch, almost exclusively, for its own interest. If he considers that his reputation is in danger, and in the face of threats of a boycott by a group of potential consumers, he will not hesitate to fire a person so that they are not associated with his action.

Cancel culture is ruthless in that regard, as it's hard to justify actively fighting for a person loses his livelihood and, what is worse, that of his family, as a result of statements that may be more or less polemics.

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famous people and anonymous people

When we talk about the cancellation culture process, it is important to distinguish between two assumptions. And it is that The person who exposes in the first instance the comment that will light the fuse, can be a more or less famous person or a totally anonymous citizen.

In the first case, if the person is recognized in a particular field, either for being an artist or a professional in some discipline, or for having with a reasonably large number of followers on the social network in question, the subject will have, as a base, a very broad forum that will receive and analyze their words.

This fact can make said person more likely to suffer a cancellation attempt, simply because of the number of people who will have access to the statements that have prompted it. On the other hand, it is possible that, given his position, he also has more resources to avoid being affected by the consequences, although not It is always like that and there are not a few times that, for example, an actor has been left out of a professional project for this type of reason.

In the second case, the anonymous person who has a limited number of friends or subscribers on their social networks, will be less likely to be eaten by this mechanism, but that does not mean that it is impossible, far from it. It is enough for a single person to view said content and share the publication to report the message, calling on others to do the same, starting a snowball effect.

Given the right conditions, a tweet, for example, can go viral in just a few hours, receiving hundreds or even thousands of views and comments showing outrage over the same. That is when the cancellation culture process begins, in which some people will decide to go further (much further, in some cases) and will start analyzing all the public (and even private) profiles of this person to collect information.

If your search pays off, they will quickly find out where he works and make it public, and even contact it, urging those responsible to fire said worker if they do not want all of them to stop consuming their products or services, because if they do not take action, they will consider that the opinion of the employee is representing that of the company, which is an obvious fallacy.

If, on the contrary, the person is famous or fairly well-known, obviously it will not be necessary analyze her profiles to find out her identity and her place of work because it will be information public. But that's not to say they can't fall victim to cancel culture, it just won't be This step is necessary and the "cancellers" can directly demand their dismissal and censorship from the company on duty immediate.

Alternatives to cancel culture

The culture of cancellation is a weapon that is wielded on many occasions with the excuse of silencing those who, through their speech, threaten various freedoms (always according to these people). But it is also that, paradoxically, This action is in itself a threat to freedom of expression in the first place and to equally serious issues, such as the right to privacy..

It is clear that there are statements, comments and even jokes that can be unfortunate, in bad taste, offensive or even harmful. But in a civilized society this should not be an excuse to encourage actions that result in the loss of a job or other types of retaliation on a personal level, which can cause irreparable harm in that individual.

If a specific statement constitutes a crime, the law must act, there is not much debate about it. But if some words offend a person or group, being within the law, they must be answered through argumentation, objective data and constructive dialogue. There will even be people who will opt for the rude retort, which obviously does not have much of a way to go, but at least it will not generate the ill effects of cancel culture.

One of the most popular and old sayings on the Internet reads: "do not feed the trolls". This simple guideline is much more ethical (and probably more effective, as it takes away all visibility) than scorn. and the digital mobs destined to destroy the private life of the alleged transgressor who, with his statements, they have stirred up the crowd to the point of wanting to drag you through the mud on all levels of your personal life.

Finally, yet another reason to never resort to cancel culture, even if only for a selfish reason, is that, as many other phenomena of social psychology, it is usually uncontrollable and, the person who today cancels and promotes the cancellation, runs the risk of risk of being devoured by that same mechanism, experiencing firsthand what it is to be canceled for all purposes of your life of him

Anonymity in the networks

An issue directly related to cancel culture is anonymity on the internet and on social media in particular.. On social networks like Twitter, a user can choose to use her real name and even her photograph, or use an avatar and a pseudonym that hides her true identity. On many occasions this dynamic is reproached, since users are accused of taking advantage of their anonymity to pour according to what statements.

But, if we reflect on this question, we could ask ourselves which attitude is more reprehensible, if using a false name to speak freely, sometimes exposing controversial ideas or comments, or criticizing this behavior since it makes it difficult or impossible to carry out the culture of the cancellation.

Of course, the messages that users post on social networks always have a meaning and therefore an effect on other people, which can be more or less positive or negative. But, unless such publication constitutes a criminal motive, it should never be used to try to get that person to lose their livelihood.

Also, it must be clear that no opinion, comment or political affiliation makes a person better or worse at their job, be it as an actor, writer, accountant, salesperson or any other. They are and should always be independent facets in the life of each person.

Bibliographic references:

• Bouvier, G. (2020). Racist call-outs and cancel culture on Twitter: The limitations of the platform's ability to define issues of social justice. Discourse, Context & Media. Elsevier.
• Ng, E. (2020). No grand pronouncements here...: Reflections on cancel culture and digital media participation. Television & New Media.
• Nguyen, B. (2020). Cancel Culture on Twitter: The Effects of Information Source and Messaging on Post Shareability and Perceptions of Corporate Greenwashing. Wharton Research Scholars.