The New Wave of Information: Cancel Culture

Graphic by. Daniel Kulinski from Arc Deigns

“Cancel Culture, as a construct, seems to be inescapable in modern society. As people of all ages participate on the Internet, how can “Cancel Culture” be monitored?

The term, “Cancel culture" came into the collective consciousness around 2017, after the idea of "canceling" celebrities for problematic actions or statements became popular. It has roots starting in early-2010s Tumblr blogs, where fandoms would discuss why their favorite stars were imperfect.  

There is not a single person who can be credited with creating cancel culture. The term "cancel culture" is often used to describe a phenomenon in which an individual or group of people ostracize or "cancel" an individual or group of people, usually due to their perceived wrongdoings or opinions. The idea of publicly shaming people for their actions has been around for centuries, but in the digital age, it has become more public and widespread.

Knowing the origin of online public shaming will help internet users understand why this is happening and how to prevent it from corrupting their careers. A healthy balance of criticism and dialogue is essential to foster an open and honest discussion.

One of the earliest uses of the phrase was on Twitter. It came from Myles McNutt, a TV critic and assistant professor at Old Dominion University, who used it in a tweet on February 2014 to refer to the cancellations of TV series.

McNutt stated, "It's unfortunate how renew/cancel culture has made 'not renewed early' read as canceled — “wait and see until pilots come in”.

This phenomenon is where people and organizations are publicly denounced, demonized, and sometimes even "canceled" for expressing opinions that are considered unpopular or offensive. This has become increasingly common in the age of social media, as people quickly take to platforms to share their thoughts and opinions. While holding people and organizations accountable for their words and actions is important, care must be taken to ensure that cancel culture does not lead to a culture of fear and silencing of diverse voices.

There are plenty of examples of celebrities being denounced before the phrase, “Cancel Culture” came into play. For example, Eartha Kit, Lena Horn or Josephine Baker have all been publicly shamed before it was mainstream media. 

Williams during an interview in April 2019. Photo from Wikimedia Commons

Venessa Williams is an exemplary model of how a voice can be silenced for the wrong reasons. In 1984, Williams was forced to resign from the Miss America Organization when Penthouse Magazine published her nude pictures. 

Williams was the first African-American woman to become Miss America. Unfortunately, her reign didn’t last. After 10 months she was forced to resign because of pictures she took before she won Miss America. 

This was only a minor setback for her. She knew her career was not over.  She became a successful singer,  actress and also wrote a memoir. 

In 1984, women in nude pictures were ridiculed and shamed rather than these pictures being empowering and iconic like they would have been in the modern day. 

32 years later, Williams was later reinstated in the Miss America pageant in 2015 and was honored with a crowning moment in 2016. This event ultimately symbolized a public acknowledgment and apology for the way she was treated in the past. While some individuals may argue that Vanessa Williams was "canceled", it is important to note that she has since been embraced by the pageant and the public at large, and her career has been successful and long-lasting.

Miss America CEO Sam Haskell took the stage with Williams to offer her a public apology, “Though none of us currently in the organization were involved then, on behalf of today’s organization, I want to apologize to you and your mother, Miss Helen Williams,” Haskell said as he hugged a tearful Williams. “I want to apologize for anything that was said or done that made you feel any less than the Miss America you are and the Miss America you always will be.”

It is safe to say that the public as a whole has an important job of holding influencers and celebrities accountable for their actions, but when will it ever be enough? There have been many incidents, like Williams, who did not deserve the public backlash. 

Having access to the internet comes with great responsibility. You now have the power to control the narrative, but there is still hope in the world to make “Cancel Culture” a positive combat to harmful behaviors.