Cancel Culture

Over the years, social media has become one of the prime forms of communication: building bridges between different countries, cultures, and languages. A main component of social media’s success is the anonymity it offers which gives people platforms to freely express their opinions without exposing their vulnerability. Protected by this collateral of hiding behind a screen, many people use their influence to point out the flaws and wrongdoings of popular influencers on the internet. While calling an influencer out for their mistakes can be beneficial for their personal growth, it also has the potential to ruin their career.

Shane Dawson, a once popular Youtuber that is now hiding in seclusion in Colorado, is only one of the several influencers that has been subjected to Cancel Culture. Amassing over 20 million followers, Shane Dawson quickly became a poster-child for Youtube with his sarcastic humor and witty punchlines. However, the uncovering of his older videos and tweets that displayed his offensive and controversial beliefs caused his entire career, close relationships, brand deals, and large fanbase to collapse. Despite showing his regret in an apology video, viewers deemed his remorse as a semblance, and he still remains on the internet’s “black-list”.

On the other hand, some influencers are able to gain back the public’s interest after being the laughing stock of Twitter. Trisha Paytas, a 33-year-old Youtuber, has remained popular on the platform by simply being controversial. Even after being canceled a plethora of times for mocking cultures, mental illnesses, and other influencers, Trisha continues to display her flamboyant persona because the audience will interact, and interaction equals profit. 

At the end of the day, there is too much gray area to decide whether Cancel Culture is effective or not. Regardless of its efficacy, there are better ways to discourage negative behavior, such as ignoring, blocking, or reporting people who infringe on the community guidelines.