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

Through the cancellation culture, a comment on social networks can put you out of a job.

In recent times, a digital phenomenon has proliferated that can have very serious repercussions on people's lives. This is the cancellation 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 it follows and above all, what are the consequences for the person who suffers it, reviewing some examples.

What is the culture of cancellation?

A famous actress is fulminantly fired from the fashion series, as a result of some statements in support of a controversial politician and for her controversial opinions on the situation of the coronavirus pandemic. A reputed writer takes a stand on a debate about sexuality and hordes of former followers become enraged and call for her books to be burned.

A manager at a major telecommunications company makes a tasteless joke on Twitter that quickly goes viral and, as a result, she is immediately fired. These are just a few examples (all of them real) of what the consequences of the cancellation culture represent.

Cancellation culture is a relatively recent concept. This expression refers to the act of "cancelling" a person, invalidating their opinions and practically their existence from all social areas, and all as a result of posting a comment or supporting a particular stance on a particular issue, usually through social networks.

Put another way. The cancellation culture assumes that the public exposure of certain ideas or the making of a comment out of place, can trigger a series of reactions in some people who, in an active and deliberate way, will make the publication visible, often attaching information about the private life of these people. in some people who, in an active and deliberate way, will make this publication visible, in many occasions attaching information of the private life of these people.

Ultimately, such a process may lead, at the very least, to the public scorn of the individual, who may see his or her publicationwho may see how his or her publication has gone viral and has reached unimaginable levels of visualization. And, at the most, with consequences for his personal life, such as the loss of his job, since the persecuting group will have pressured the company to take measures and not to have such a person in its staff.

How is it possible for a person to lose his or her job as a result of a personal publication on the Internet? Unfortunately, for economic reasons. A private company will look almost exclusively to its own interests. If it feels that its reputation is in jeopardy, and faced with threats of boycott by a group of potential consumers, it will not hesitate to fire a person so that they are not associated with its action.

The cancellation culture is ruthless in that regard, as it is hard to justify actively fighting for a person to lose their livelihood and worse, that of their family, as a result of statements that may be more or less controversial.

Famous people and anonymous people

When we talk about the process of cancellation culture, it is important to distinguish between two assumptions. The first assumption is that the person who first exposes the comment that will ignite 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 a reasonably large number of followers in the social network in question, the subject will have a very large forum that will receive and analyze his or her words.

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

In the second case, the anonymous person who has a limited number of friends or subscribers in their social networks, will be less likely to be devoured by this mechanism.But that doesn't mean it's impossible, far from it. It is enough for a single person to view such content and share the post to denounce the message, calling others to do the same, initiating a snowball effect.

If the right conditions are met, a tweet, for example, can go viral in just a few hours, receiving hundreds or even thousands of views and comments showing indignation about it. That's when the process of cancellation culture begins, in which some people will decide to go further (much further, in some cases) and start analyzing all the public (and even private) profiles of this person to gather information.

If their search bears fruit, will quickly find out what their workplace is and make it public, and even contact the company, urging those in charge to fire the employee if they do not want all of them to stop consuming their products or services.If they do not take action, they will consider that the employee's opinion is representing that of the company, which is an obvious fallacy.

If, on the other hand, the person is famous or moderately well known, it will obviously not be necessary to analyze their profiles to find out their identity and place of work because it will be public information. However, this does not mean that they cannot be victims of the cancellation culture, but simply that this step will not be necessary and the "cancellers" can directly demand their dismissal and immediate censorship from the company in question.

Alternatives to the cancellation culture

The culture of cancellation is a weapon that is wielded on many occasions with the excuse of silencing those who, through their discourse, threaten various freedoms (always according to these people). But, paradoxically, this action is in itself a threat, 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 may 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 damage to that individual.

If a particular statement is a crime, the law should 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 rude retorts, which obviously do not have much of a chance, but at least they will not generate the harmful effects of the culture of cancellation.

One of the most popular and oldest sayings on the Internet is "don't feed the trolls". This simple guideline is much more ethical (and probably more effective, as it takes away all visibility) than the scorn and the digital mobs aimed at destroying the private life of the alleged transgressor who, with their statements, have stirred up the crowd, have stirred up the crowd to the point of wanting to drag him through the mud at all levels of his personal life..

Finally, yet another reason for never resorting to the cancellation culture, even if only for a selfish reason, is that, like many other phenomena of social psychology, it is often uncontrollable and the person who cancels and promotes cancellation today runs the risk of being devoured by this same mechanism, experiencing first-hand what it is like to be canceled for all purposes in his or her life.

Anonymity in the networks

An issue directly related to the culture of cancellation is anonymity on the Internet and on social networks in particular.. On social networks such as Twitter, a user can choose to use his real name and even his photograph, or use an avatar and a pseudonym to hide his true identity. This dynamic is often criticized, as users are accused of taking advantage of their anonymity to make certain statements.

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

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

Moreover, it should be clear that no opinion, comment or political affiliation makes a person better or worse at his or her job, whether as an actor, writer, accountant, salesperson or otherwise. Son y deben ser siempre facetas independientes en la vida de cada persona.

Referencias bibliográficas:

• 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.