Cancel Culture: What It Is And How It Affects Freedom Of Expression
In recent times, a digital phenomenon has proliferated that can have very serious repercussions on people’s lives. It’s about cancel culture
In the following paragraphs we will try to find out what exactly this mechanism entails, what it is based on, what the process it follows is and above all, what the consequences are for those who suffer from it, reviewing some examples.
A famous actress is abruptly fired from the fashion series, following statements of support for a controversial politician and for her controversial opinions on the situation of the coronavirus pandemic. A renowned writer takes a stand in a debate about sexuality and hordes of former followers are enraged and call for her books to be burned.
A manager from a major telecommunications company makes a bad taste joke on Twitter that quickly goes viral and, as a consequence, she is immediately fired. These are just a few examples (all of them real) of what the consequences of cancel culture represent.
Cancel culture is a relatively recent concept. This expression refers to the act of “canceling” a person, invalidating their opinions and practically their existence from all social areas and, all of this, as a result of the publication of a comment or support for a specific position on a specific issue. , usually through social networks.
In other words. Cancel culture means that The public presentation of certain ideas or the making of an out-of-place comment can trigger a series of reactions in some people who, in an active and deliberate way, will make said publication visible, on many occasions attaching information about the private lives of these people.
As a last resort, This process can lead, at a minimum, to public ridicule of the person, who can see how his publication has gone viral and has reached unimaginable viewing levels. And, at most, with consequences for their personal life such as the loss of employment, since the persecuting group will have pressured the company to take measures and not have such a person on its staff.
How can a person lose their job because of a personal post on the Internet? Unfortunately, for economic reasons. A private company will look, almost exclusively, for its own interest. If he considers that his reputation is in danger, and in the face of threats of boycott by a group of potential consumers, he will not hesitate to fire a person so that he is not associated with his action.
Cancel culture is ruthless in this regard, since it is difficult to justify actively fighting for a person to lose their livelihood and, what is worse, that of their family, as a result of statements that may be more or less controversies.
famous people and anonymous people
When we talk about the process of cancel culture, it is important to distinguish between two assumptions. And it is that The person who first makes the comment that will light the fuse may be a more or less famous person or a completely 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 on the social network in question, the The subject will have, as a base, a very broad forum that will receive and analyze his or her words.
This fact may make said person more likely to suffer a cancellation attempt, simply due to 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 also has more resources to not be affected by the consequences, although this is not always the case and there are many times that, for example, an actor, has been left out of a project. professional for these types of reasons.
In the second case, The anonymous person who has a limited number of friends or subscribers on their social networks will be less likely to be devoured by this mechanism, but that does not mean that it is impossible, far from it. It only takes one person to view said content and share the publication to report the message, calling on others to do the same, starting 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 outrage about it. This is when the process of cancel culture begins, in which some people will decide to go further (much further, in some cases) and will begin to analyze all the public (and even private) profiles of this person to gather information.
If your search bears fruit, They will quickly find out where your workplace is and make it public, and even contact them urging those responsible to fire said worker if they do not want all of them to stop consuming their products or services, because 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 their place of work because it will be public information. But, that does not mean that they cannot be victims of the cancel culture, but rather that this step will simply not be necessary and the “cancellers” can directly demand that the company in question dismiss them and immediately censor them.
Alternatives to cancel culture
Cancel culture is a weapon that is wielded on many occasions with the excuse of silencing those who, through their speech, threaten various freedoms (always according to these people). But also, paradoxically, This action in itself represents 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 can be unfortunate, in bad taste, offensive or even harmful. But in a civilized society this should not be an excuse to encourage actions that lead to the loss of a job or other types of retaliation on a personal level, which can cause irreparable damage to that individual.
If a specific statement constitutes a crime, the law must act, there is not much debate about it. But if some words offend a person or group, being within the law, they must be responded to through argumentation, objective data and constructive dialogue. There will even be people who will opt for the rude retort, which obviously does not have much experience, but at least they will not generate the harmful effects of cancel culture.
One of the most popular and oldest sayings on the Internet says: “don’t feed the trolls.” This simple guideline is much more ethical (and probably more effective, since it reduces all visibility) than the ridicule and digital mobs aimed at destroying the private life of the supposed transgressor who, with his statements, They have infuriated the crowd to the point of wanting to drag him through the mud at all levels of his personal life
Finally, another reason to never resort to cancel culture, even if only for a selfish reason, is that, like many other phenomena in social psychology, it is usually uncontrollable and, the person who today cancels and promotes the cancellation, you run the risk of being devoured by that same mechanism, experiencing first-hand what it is like to see yourself canceled for all purposes of your life.
Anonymity on the networks
An issue directly related to cancel culture is anonymity on the Internet and on social networks in particular On social networks like Twitter, a user can choose to use their real name and even their photograph, or use an avatar and a pseudonym that hides their true identity. On many occasions this dynamic is criticized, as users are accused of taking advantage of their anonymity to make certain statements.
But, if we reflect on this question, we could ask ourselves which attitude is more reprehensible, if that of using a false name to speak freely, sometimes exposing controversial ideas or comments, or that of criticizing this behavior since it makes it difficult or impossible to carry out cancel culture out.
Of course, the messages that users publish on social networks always have a meaning and therefore an effect on other people, which can be more or less positive or negative. But, unless said publication constitutes grounds for a crime, it should never be used to try to cause said person to lose their livelihood.
Furthermore, it must be clear that no opinion, comment or political affiliation makes a person better or worse at their job, whether as an actor, writer, accountant, salesman or any other. They are and should always be independent facets in each person’s life.
