The phenomenon of Cancel Culture Its Effects on Individuals Within

Ordinary Segments of Society

Sheila Dwi Rahmawati, Alvia Rahma Dwiyanti

I. Introduction
Cancel culture has become a popular phenomenon recently. When a celebrity is involved
in controversy or scandal, they will get hate and experience canceled culture whether in
social media or in the entertainment industry. The term " cancel culture" itself according
to dictionary.com refers to the popular practice of withdrawing support for (canceling)
public figures and companies after they have done or said something considered
objectionable or offensive. Cancel culture is generally discussed as being performed on
social media in the form of group shaming. Cancel culture is not only implemented to
celebrities or public figures, but every person who causes a controversy or detrimental
behavior can experience a canceled culture in society as a social punishment that they
have to endure for their whole life. As US President Donald Trump put in his 2020 4th of
July speech “(one of the left’s) political weapons is ‘cancel culture’- driving people from
their jobs, shaming dissenters, and demanding total submission from anyone who
disagrees” (Trump’s, 2020). Public shaming has traditionally played a central role in
social change, with certain worldviews becoming progressively less acceptable within a
given society (Trigo,2020). The impact of cancel culture for the person who is being
canceled by the society is very intolerable because it will influence them psychologically
and their daily life. They will suffer mental health issues that will affect their career and
relationship with other people. Canceling becomes a phenomenon that is related to
bullying these days. People who are being canceled experience loneliness and unincluded
in society which can increase anxiety and depression. On the other hand, canceling
culture also becomes a sign to spread awareness for the people to behave and respect the
norm and rules that has been setted in society, so they become more careful in taking
action that can cause problems or controversy.

II. Discussion
A. Instances of Cancel Culture Impacting Everyday Individuals
Cancel culture has become a trend that happens very often In US. We can't deny
that the existence of social media has also become a medium to spread the
information about the controversy or recent problem that is happening. The
phenomenon of cancel culture also happens in Indonesia as an influence of the
existence of social media that spreads the information easily. The example of the
cancellation culture case In Indonesia is the cancellation of Esport athlete, Listy
Chan, about their affair scandal. Her scandal becomes public and social media’s
consumption of information. Public posts hate comments about her in every social
media. She lost his contract with the EVOS Esports team, the Mobile Legends
 Ladies division, due to the talk of her love affair on social media. In this case, it
shows how the impact of canceling culture can ruin someone’s life in a blink of an
eye. Pengamat sosial UI, Devie Rahmawati, menyoroti dampak negatif dari
cancel culture yang lebih dirasakan masyarakat biasa ketimbang tokoh publik.
Pasalnya, “ketika cancel culture menyerang selebritas, maka mereka masih
memiliki karya, yang berpeluang untuk tetap dikonsumsi dan dinilai positif oleh
publik lainnya. Sedangkan bagi kalangan biasa, serangan cancel culture akan
berpotensi menutup ruang aktualisasi hingga potensi ekonomi.” (Rivan 2021).
Another example of culture that happened in the US is Urban Outfitters' Cultural
Appropriation. In the wake of the #BlackLivesMatter movement brands are eager
to position themselves as allies, with campaigns built on their commitment to race
awareness. However, this backfired on many, including Urban Outfitters, who
immediately addressed their troubled past associations with a culture of
appropriation. Many former employees of the company continue to talk about
discriminatory or racist experiences they had while working at certain companies.
In 2020, Reformasi came under fire, and promised to make changes in their
organization after admitting their mistakes.

B. The Factors Contributing to Cancel Culture

A multitude of reasons contributes to individuals' decisions to engage in the act of
canceling others, displaying a wide range of motivations and factors at play. The
pervasive expansion of cancel culture can be primarily attributed to the
widespread adoption and influence of social media platforms, which have served
as the primary reason for its rapid dissemination and increase across society. The
reason why social media is linked to cancel culture is because mostly it occurs
online (Nierman 2022). The dynamics of social media can foster an atmosphere in
which individuals experience a strong inclination to conform to dominant
opinions, for fear of becoming targets themselves. This can result in the
emergence of a mob mentality or groupthink, where differing perspectives are
sidelined or subjected to criticism. The fear of facing cancellation can further
exacerbate this situation, creating a climate that inhibits free speech and hampers
open dialogue. According to Bouvier , the intolerance of racism is also the reason
for the spreading of cancel culture. The rise of cancel culture can be ascribed in
part to the growing emphasis on identity politics, whereby the prominence of
individuals' identities, encompassing factors such as race, gender, sexual
orientation, or other defining characteristics, significantly influences public
discourse. In instances where an individual's actions or statements are perceived
as offensive or detrimental to a specific identity group, that individual may face
expeditious and severe repercussions, often taking the form of cancellation.
III. Conclusion
After careful consideration, it can be deduced that cancel culture represents the last straw
used by society to effectively eliminate an individual or a brand that fails to align with the
prevailing standards and values embraced by that particular society. Social media
platforms facilitate the process of individuals locating their like-minded supporters and
allies, enabling them to form alliances and collectively engage in the act of cancellation.
Given the deeply sensitive nature of racial discourse in American society, there has been
a discernible shift towards an intolerance for racism, which has increasingly gained
momentum as a prevailing trend. As a consequence, individuals or groups espousing
racist ideologies are increasingly likely to face cancellation and widespread social
repercussions.

References

Bouvier, G., & Machin, D. "What gets lost in Twitter 'cancel culture' hashtags? Calling out

racists reveals some limitations of social justice campaigns." Discourse & Society 32, no. 3

(2021): 307–327. https://doi.org/10.1177/0957926520977215.

Nierman, E. "Why Social Media, Cancel Culture, and Crisis Management Have Become

Intertwined." Retrieved from Fast Company, 2022.

https://www.fastcompany.com/90781299/why-social-media-cancel-culture-and-crisis-manageme

nt-have-become-intertwined.

Rivan Dwiastono. "Cancel Culture Marak di AS, Bagaimana di Indonesia?" VOA Indonesia,

2021.
https://www.voaindonesia.com/a/cancel-culture-marak-di-as-bagaimana-di-indonesia-/5806176.h

tml.

Trigo, Laura A. "Cancel Culture: The Phenomenon, Online Communities and Open Letters."

September 2020, 13.

Trump, Donald. Speech at Mount Rushmore, South Dakota. Published 4 July, 2020. Accessed

from the White House website:

www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/remarks-president-trump-south-dakotas-20-mount-rus

hmore-fireworks-celebration-keystone-south-dakota/.