Cancel Culture: Does it Have a Positive or Negative Effect on this Generation?

Call-out culture aka cancel culture has taken over the minds of this generation. Google defines it as the “ tendency of engaging in mass canceling as a way of expressing disapproval and exerting social pressure.”

Basically, keeping people accountable for their actions by withdrawing your support. Most of these people that get canceled tend to be people in the limelight such as celebrities or influencers.

I am someone that can acknowledge both the good and the bad of cancel culture and here are my thoughts on this:

Cancel Culture as a Positive:

1. As stated earlier, it helps to hold people accountable.

There are some people in this world that think their actions will always be overlooked or they can get away with stuff because of who they are or maybe whom they know. Sometimes the people in control of the various social platforms don’t do a great job of holding the users accountable. Cancel culture allows us to step in and acknowledge the flaws of that platform and help get the justice we need.

2. It helps us speak up for one another

Cancel culture allows for people’s voices to be heard especially when dealing with someone who seems as though they have more power in a situation. This is especially true when it comes to influencers. Communities on social media will rally around someone whose voice they feel is not being heard.

Cancel Culture as a Negative

1. No Forgiveness 

I would say this is more of my religious/spiritual side speaking but I’ve witnessed some cases where it seems as if we don’t allow room for people to be human and make mistakes. We have said things we didn’t mean or have hurt others in our lives and that same grace that we ask for, we have to be willing to give it to others. I believe that people get older and they change, just like we change daily. Or become educated on a subject and want to be better but cancel culture seems to hold people’s past against them. 

I don’t think it’s fair to dig into someone’s past and hold it against them cause I am certain, we all have a past. Now I do believe in holding others accountable but always move with grace as well. 

2. He Says/ She Say

For cancel culture to not be toxic and to simply be a way to hold others accountable to their wrongdoing, I think we need to believe in having evidence and not just going off of what people say sometimes. 

Canceling someone can cause job loss, complete exile, etc. so let’s make sure we don’t ruin someone’s life and it was a mistake. Let’s at least have the evidence to see if that person will deserve the consequences. I’ve seen incidents where someone got canceled because of hearsays and when people find out the truth, it’s a little embarrassing because we were so against this person.

Again, I am pretty neutral because I have seen the good side as well as the bad side to cancel culture. There are some quirks that need fixing in order for it to serve its purpose which is to be the voice for others, hold people accountable, and also can create social change. 

• cancel culture
• forgiveness
• generation z
• gossip
• Influencers