#*insert person/company name*isoverparty or #*insert person/company name*iscancelled

How often do you see such hashtags trending on social media platforms, and especially on Twitter? Lately, it always seems like some celebrity, political leader, company, or even an ordinary person is being canceled for one reason or another. So today, let's talk about this trend of canceling people and institutions, and whether cancel culture is good or bad. But before we go on, what is cancel culture exactly?

Cancel culture is the practice of calling out, shaming, or boycotting a particular person or company's services because they are believed to have done or said something wrong or controversial. Cancelling can be done either online or in person, and often results in a ruined career or reputation.

When it comes to cancellations, no one is safe! Though it could happen to anyone, the most common targets are celebrities, probably because their personal and professional lives are exposed for us to see and judge. Some celebrities who have experienced the wrath of cancel culture recently, include J.K Rowling, Amber Heard, Ellen DeGeneres, James Charles, Doja Cat, DaBaby, Chrissy Teigen, Armie Hammer, Shane Dawson, and David Dobrik, just to name a few.

In recent years, the list of things you can be canceled for is becoming so long that you might start getting confused about what is wrong and what is acceptable to society. Some examples of things people get canceled for include, offensive tweets, racist, homophobic or sexist remarks, bad behavior, and political views, among many others.

But is shaming and canceling people really the best way to deal with them when they make mistakes or do something you think is offensive? Is cancel culture good or bad?

In today's post, we shall discuss the positive and negative sides of cancel culture. Read on to find out if canceling celebrities, political leaders, and brands for their wrongdoings is good or bad?

Why Cancel Culture is Good

  • Cancel culture and change

Contrary to what most people think, cancel culture is not a new thing. It has been happening for many years in different forms and has been a driving force for change for a long time. Cancel culture is only more popular today because of the increased use of social media platforms, making it easier for anyone to know and participate in this practice.

But is cancel culture good or bad? Is calling wrongdoers out the best way to make them aware of their actions and change?

Cancel culture can be good because calling people out for their actions gives them the opportunity to learn from their mistakes and change for the better. For example, most canceled individuals usually apologize or take positive steps to correct their wrongs. It also deters others from repeating the same mistakes after seeing the consequences of getting canceled. So despite it appearing to be too drastic, cancel culture works!  

  • Cancel culture and accountability

It might seem harsh, but cancellation does ensure people are accountable for their actions, which makes cancel culture a good thing. Though it is still unclear just how genuine the videos and note app apologies that canceled people usually post to un-cancel themselves are, they are still something.

Considering that most of the time what people get canceled for happened in the past, the apologies are probably genuine because these people could have changed since then. But who knows for sure?

Since we cannot tell with 100% certainty whether the apologies are honest, we can only take them at face value. We have to believe that these celebrities and companies are taking responsibility for their actions and are willing to change their behavior.

However, sometimes, it is not enough to just own up for your past actions or be willing to change, you have to be ready for the consequences of getting canceled. Cancel culture can help victims of social injustices and criminal behavior get justice for what happened to them.

READ ALSO: 10 Things You Should Never Apologize for

  • Cancel culture and awareness

I must admit that some of the things people get canceled for I never considered them wrong until I learned more about them. If I were a celebrity, I probably would have already been canceled because of something. So in a way, cancel culture is good because it creates awareness on some issues that many people may not have known were bad.

Additionally, what is acceptable by society changes over time, and some of the things people get canceled for today were probably acceptable in past years. Cancel culture is a way to keep up with these changes. However, these changing values are often disregarded when people cancel celebrities and other companies for their past actions, for instance, tweets and actions from more than 5 years ago where their actions or words were probably acceptable.

Canceling celebrities and businesses for their misdeeds is also an excellent way to make their fans, employers, or customers aware of what they did. They can then make informed decisions on how to deal with the canceled person or company going forward. Without being canceled, those loyal to them might not have known about what they had done and would have continued to support them blindly.

  • Cancel culture and fame

Getting canceled can be a good thing for you! As much as we might not acknowledge it, canceling people and companies does make them more famous by making more people aware of their existence. And...bad publicity is still publicity.

Even though people are supposed to boycott your products and services when you get canceled, humans are still curious creatures and you might become more famous after cancellation as people try to learn more about you. If you are lucky, there might be an increase in Google searches, more new followers, a surge in the number of views on YouTube, or an increased demand for services and products.

For this reason, some people do things intentionally to get themselves canceled, hoping they will become famous or get more buzz about one of their projects. For instance, a musician might do something that could get them canceled when they are about to release an album or song. The buzz about the cancellation will then make more people aware of them, and their songs might get more views and listeners as people try to know more about them or as loyal fans try to defend and support the canceled person.

However, one has to be cautious while using cancel culture to gain fame because it might also backfire on you, and it is also not a sustainable way to get customers or fans.

Why Cancel Culture is a Bad Practice

  • Cancel culture and growth

Is it okay to cancel people over things they did in the distant past? Whenever you see a particular celebrity trending under the canceled hashtags, it does not always concern things they did recently. Sometimes celebrities are canceled even for what they did many years ago, like more than 5 years ago. This type of canceling ignores any behavior change or growth these people might have experienced in the years since then.

Like anyone else, celebrities are only human, and they make mistakes, and canceling them for making them is bad. Unless their past actions were criminal in nature, they should not be used to judge or cancel who they are currently. People evolve with time, and these celebrities probably don't have the same values and beliefs they had back then. Not to mention that many people do stupid things when they are young, and the person they were back then is probably not who they are now.

Shaming and canceling people for mistakes they made in the past not only ignores their growth right now but also may hinder their future growth. When considering canceling people or institutions, we should allow them to explain themselves or apologize because we don't always know the full story. By canceling them without giving them a chance for redemption, we deny people the opportunity to learn from their mistakes.

  • Cancel culture and authenticity

Nowadays, many people and celebrities are trying to do and say what is right to avoid getting canceled. In the process of trying to be unproblematic, most might lose their authenticity, and cancel culture could also threaten the right to freedom of speech. People are too concerned with being politically correct that they might do and say things they don't believe in because they fear what other people will think and say.

We might be happy that a celebrity or company is unproblematic, but are they showing us their real selves or just putting on a front to avoid being canceled?

Moreover, being unauthentic could also increase the chances of getting canceled as people might see through the act or you could be caught and discovered as a fraud.

READ ALSO: 6 Things That Happen When You Become Unapologetically Yourself

  • Cancel culture and malicious motives

Not all instances of cancellations and public shaming are done to get people to be accountable for their actions or inspire change. Some people have malicious reasons for canceling celebrities, political leaders, and institutions. For instance, they might cancel them for petty reasons like jealousy, envy, or simply to ruin their reputation.

Ill-wishers might dig for dirt on their competition and enemies to get them canceled while hoping they will ruin their personal and professional life, lose their loyal following and credibility, or that customers will boycott their products. There have also been cases of people and companies being canceled wrongly even when were innocent of what they were being shamed and accused of.

Canceling people just because you have malicious motives makes you no different from a bully.

  • Cancel culture and mental health

Cancel culture is toxic to the mental health of those involved. No one likes to be shamed or called out publicly, and though they are always in the public eye, celebrities are not an exemption.

Some celebrities who have been the targets of cancel culture confess that they suffered from mental health issues such as depression, anxiety, and stress after getting canceled. This could be a result of the cancellation itself or from its consequences such as the loss of a job, social isolation, loneliness, being ostracized, harassment and bullying.

The negative effects of cancel culture on mental health are not only felt by the targets but also the onlookers. They might feel anxious and fear that they could be next. What if someone dug into your past, what will they find?

READ ALSO: The Effects of Social Media Use on Mental Health | MENTAL HEALTH AND THE INTERNET

Final thoughts

Is cancel culture good or bad? It is not that black and white. Cancel culture is a double-edged sword with both positive and negative sides. On the one hand, canceling people and calling them out for their wrongdoings can be instrumental in bringing change and fostering accountability. It also makes people self-aware, conscious, and cautious about their actions. Additionally, cancel culture is a way for people to stand up for social justice.

However, even with these benefits, cancel culture can be a very toxic practice, and many people fear the consequences of getting canceled. It is even worse when people are wrongly canceled because by the time the truth comes out, the damage has already been done, and recovering from these consequences might be difficult.

So before joining a cancellation campaign for someone, pause and think about the ramifications of your actions or do more research on the accusations. It is probably about time cancel culture got canceled!

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