Cancel culture

Extracted Attributes

• Targets

  Individuals, companies, institutions, concepts, brands, nations

• Mechanism

  Often amplified by social media

• Criticisms

  Stifles public discourse, unproductive, does not bring real social change, causes intolerance, amounts to cyberbullying

• Definition

  A contemporary phenomenon of ostracism where an individual is shunned, boycotted, or fired for perceived unacceptable actions or speech

• Connotations

  Mostly negative

• Alternative Names

  call-out culture

• Associated Debates

  Free speech, censorship

• Ideological Context

  Practice of groups on both sides of the culture wars

• Historical Precedent

  Modern form of shunning, variant on boycotting

• Supporters' Arguments

  Term is weaponized to undermine efforts promoting accountability and amplifying marginalized voices, calls for cancellation are a form of free speech and a modern iteration of boycotting

• Impact on Public Figures

  Some careers impacted, others unaffected

Timeline

• The term "cancel culture" came into circulation. (Source: Summary, Wikipedia, DBPedia)

  2018

• A Morning Consult poll of American registered voters showed that 40% of respondents had withdrawn support from public figures and companies due to objectionable actions or statements. (Source: Web Search)

  2020-07

Cancel culture

Cancel culture is a cultural phenomenon in which an individual thought to have acted or spoken in an unacceptable manner is ostracized, boycotted, shunned or fired, often aided by social media. This shunning may extend to social or professional circles—whether on social media or in person—with most high-profile incidents involving celebrities. Those subject to this ostracism are said to have been "canceled". The term "cancel culture" came into circulation in 2018 and has mostly negative connotations. The term "call-out culture" is used by some for the same concept. Some critics argue that cancel culture has a chilling effect on public discourse, that it is unproductive, that it does not bring real social change, that it causes intolerance, or that it amounts to cyberbullying. Others argue that the term is used to attack efforts to promote accountability or give disenfranchised people a voice, and to attack language that is itself free speech. Still others question whether cancel culture is an actual phenomenon, arguing that boycotting has existed long before the origin of the term "cancel culture". While the careers of some public figures have been impacted by boycotts—widely described as "cancellation"—others who complained of cancellation successfully continued their careers.

Web Search Results

• Cancel culture | EBSCO Research Starters

  _Cancel culture_ is a form of public shaming in which groups or individuals swiftly denounce and campaign against a target, often using social media. The target may be an individual, a company, an institution, or even a concept. It is also known as call-out culture. It is a phenomenon that has become widespread due to twenty-first-century technology. Because of the reach of social media, the near permanence of postings on X (formerly known as Twitter) and other platforms, and the ubiquity of [...] Cancel culture is a modern form of shunning that may be initiated by any member of a group. The group may be small, such as fans of a website, or vast, encompassing millions of users of a social media platform. Historically, shunning has been a practice within communities in which leadership publicly ostracizes individuals who do not conform to expected practices. This setting apart of members is a punishment meant to publicly shame them into submission. The act is often used to reinforce the [...] Cancel culture frequently manifests as a form of collective behavior as one or more individuals, or in many cases social media accounts, begin a campaign against someone or something. If successful, this targeting can become contagious and grow quickly. Sometimes it involves “naming and shaming,” or identifying and leveling an accusation against a person or an organization, which invites others to do the same. Inherent in this tactic is the goal of isolating the target and creating a situation

• 16 Cancel Culture Examples (2025) - Helpful Professor

  Image 5: cancel culture examples definition Cancel culture refers to the practice of withdrawing support for individuals or organizations after they have been accused of objectionable behavior. This can include anything from boycotting a person or company’s products to refusing to work with them. It often takes the form of public shaming, and its proponents typically argue that it is a necessary response to moral failings. [...] While today we tend to think of cancel culture as a product of the woke left, it’s been a practice of groups on both sides of the culture wars who have wanted to promote their own ideology and silence their opponents. Examples on the left include canceling of JK Rowling and Joe Rogan, while the right was active in canceling people during the Iraq war and the 1990s ant-gay movements. Image 6: Chris Website|+ posts Bio

• What Is Cancel Culture and What Does It Mean in 2024? - VICE

  You might be wondering how to define ‘cancelled’ – let’s start with the Macquarie Dictionary’s definition of cancel culture. Cancel culture: noun the attitudes within a community which call for or bring about the withdrawal of support from a public figure, such as cancellation of an acting role, a ban on playing an artist’s music, removal from social media, etc., usually in response to an accusation of a socially unacceptable action or comment. [...] In other words, cancel culture is the act of collective boycotting of something or someone after a perceived wrongdoing. The act of getting cancelled is enabled by social media. Despite how Macquarie defines ‘cancelled’ or ‘cancel culture’, cancelling isn’t just targeted at public figures – any person, brand or thing can be cancelled. [...] Author and academic Eve Ng points this out in her definition of the term in Cancel Culture: A Critical Analysis. Ng defines cancelling and cancel culture as both the practice of cancelling someone (an individual, group, organisation, brand or even nation) and the surrounding commentary about their wrongdoing. What Is Intersectionality?

• Canceled or Popularized: The Rise of Cancel Culture

  Any pop-culture enthusiast is familiar with the effects of cancel culture as there are endless social media posts and news articles on it. Cancel culture occurs when celebrities or other public figures participate in behaviors that are viewed unfavorable by the general public. This often causes a mass of people to publicly withdraw their support of the individual and call for others to do the same. Social media has allowed for cancel culture to upsurge and spread at a quicker rate. This [...] Cancel culture creates questions about its productivity and intent, such as what actions dictate canceling celebrities, and is the process a productive method or does it just cultivate a hostile environment? Cancel culture may work as a way to spread information on the questionable decisions and ideologies of public figures, but it is not enough to hold them accountable. This facet begs the question of what options exist to hold celebrities accountable, or in our society does fame cause people [...] There are times when cancel culture works to decrease support of individuals who have been proven to partake in behaviors and ideas that are harmful to society, such as Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, and Matty Healy due to their anti semitic views. Social media allows for this information to spread quickly and gather more support.

• Cancel culture - Wikipedia

  Philosopher Slavoj Žižek states that, "cancel culture, with its implicit paranoia, is a desperate and obviously self-defeating attempt to compensate for the very real violence and intolerance that sexual minorities have long suffered. But it is a retreat into a cultural fortress, a pseudo-'safe space' whose discursive fanaticism merely strengthens the majority's resistance to it."( [...] A poll of American registered voters conducted by Morning Consult in July 2020 showed that cancel culture, defined as "the practice of withdrawing support for (or canceling) public figures and companies after they have done or said something considered objectionable or offensive", was common: 40% of respondents said they had withdrawn support from public figures and companies, including on social media, because they had done or said something considered objectionable or offensive, with 8% [...] Ng defines cancel culture as "the withdrawal of any kind of support (viewership, social media follows, purchases of products endorsed by the person, etc.) for those who are assessed to have said or done something unacceptable or highly problematic, generally from a social justice perspective especially alert to sexism, heterosexism, homophobia, racism, bullying, and related issues."( There are different perspectives on the morality of cancellations. On the one hand, there is the view that

Cancel culture or call-out culture is a phrase contemporary to the late 2010s and early 2020s used to refer to a form of ostracism in which someone is thrust out of social or professional circles – whether it be online, on social media, or in person. Those subject to this ostracism are said to have been "cancelled". The expression "cancel culture" has mostly negative connotations and is used in debates on free speech and censorship. The notion of cancel culture is a variant on the term call-out culture. It is often said to take the form of boycotting or shunning an individual (often a celebrity) who is deemed to have acted or spoken in an unacceptable manner. Some critics argue that cancel culture has a chilling effect on public discourse, is unproductive, does not bring real social change, causes intolerance, and amounts to cyberbullying. Others argue that calls for "cancellation" are themselves a form of free speech and that they promote accountability, give disenfranchised people a voice, and are simply another form of boycotting. Some public figures claim to have been "cancelled" while continuing their careers as before.