The Judges of the Internet: A Study on Cancel Culture
By Carolina Dionísio
Cancel Culture is one of many online phenomena, and definitely the one that is ever-evolving and ever-lasting. Every week, there’s a new addition to the book of cancel culture rules, and every week, there’s a new celebrity, personality, or influencer seeing their whole being and career torn apart online.
My issue with this begins with the millions of contradictions that come with canceling someone online, because the book of rules does not apply to everyone — or, at least, not in the same manner.
We have seen beauty influencers or comedic personas completely vanish from the face of the Earth over something that was misinterpreted during a bad day, but then, on the other hand, we have guys known for being pretty thriving on serious allegations. They catch the flow of what is borderline a crime, and profit from some thirst traps with a sneaky description. They show some biceps, and suddenly, the victims are all liars.
But I won’t go that far yet, and we can’t be that extreme right off the bat. The truth is that Cancel Culture is a double-edged sword that needs to be properly analysed and not reduced to a few clicks and a moment of fame. This is serious business because we’re dealing with real lives, and I think the problem begins when the judges of the internet forget that these are real people we’re talking about.
Image Sourced through Pinterest
The judges of the internet are the accounts that seem to see everything and be everywhere at the same time. If a post is balancing on the limbo, swaying between an unpopular opinion and an actual problematic take, the judges are the first to arrive at that comment section and start the discussion. From then on, it’s up to the original creator to fend for themselves.
They can delete comments to reduce impact and engagement, but that has a consequence. They can reply to comments and try to rationalize what’s happening, but that has a consequence. They can film a quick video to clear the air, but that has a consequence. They can film a proper full-on apology, but that has a consequence. They can ignore what’s happening, but that has a consequence. They can delete their account, but that also has a consequence.
It doesn’t matter what you do or what you say; there’s always that side of the internet that’s gonna take it very badly. This can happen for a variety of reasons, but from what I’ve noticed in different comments of different contents, the number one reason is: you don’t fit the mold.
There’s a specific format of apology video that is way more acceptable than the others. It’s serious, short, uncut or unedited, and all you have to say is “You are all right, I am all wrong. I apologize. I will be better”. You shouldn’t explain yourself or try to excuse your actions, because the judges don’t really care. Even if you don’t understand where all that hate is coming from, even if you didn’t do anything wrong, and it was just a harmless joke that was transformed into a storm, they just want blind accountability.
I believe that’s the main factor behind the state of the internet nowadays.
I don’t think they want you to understand what you did, apologize thoughtfully and with arguments, put in the work to become better, and then come back as a new person. No. Today, Cancel Culture is a vicious, toxic cycle. There is no education, no debate, and no room for opinions or for change. There’s simply a wave of hate that is so strong, the only way for you to resurface is to take it all in good faith and nod.
NBC News says Cancel Culture “can serve as a megaphone for otherwise marginalized voices, but it also runs the risk of blowing situations out of proportion.
I think we have begun to use one as an excuse to use the other.
We grab a slightly misworded version of a real-life issue, throw it online, and then wait for someone to take the bait. When they do, we hit them with the racist card. We are always waiting for someone to say something nuanced just enough that we have a little loose end we can pull. We seem to care more about what’s being said online than what’s being done in real life, and that is so dangerous.
Every day, I see the same discussions online about racism, homophobia, misogyny, and genocide. Rinse and repeat. Of course, these are extremely important topics that deserve their spotlight, and we should keep speaking up, but to what extent is it actually advocacy and not performatism? Because I think we’re witnessing an increase in Performative Activism, and Cancel Culture is one of its propellers.
We cancel these creators and celebrities for not speaking or for speaking in a way that it’s not the mold we idealized, and then we vomit the same basic pre-made arguments as a way to win a discussion we don’t truly understand. We keep throwing real terms in the air to make us look educated and smart, and sometimes, we don’t even know what those words mean. We just copied and pasted what we saw on another comment section because it had a lot of likes, so it must be right.
That’s not activism at all.
Image Sourced through Pinterest
We must know what we’re talking about. We must be able to hold a conversation based on our own thoughts and opinions that we acquired through our own research. But instead, we have become so desensitized to these terms and definitions that it all seems to be losing meaning and power.
Before, if we wanted to make a serious accusation, such as racism or sexual assault, we needed at least one or two of the following base items: proof, receipts, plausible recollections, reason, structured argument, research, or a witness. We realized this was a serious matter that deserved to be treated with respect and seriousness, and we acted accordingly.
But today, all it takes is a baseless comment on a post and the bed is automatically made, whether said comment was a venomous rumour or a bored troll. We’ve seen so many creators being accused of horrible things at the expense of a bad joke, and even celebrities.
Millie Bobby Brown had to leave social media after being used in hundreds of photoshopped homophobic memes, and yet, every year, we see the same posts resurface. Zara Larsson had to respond to a TikTok where someone jokingly accused her of using a slur and pushing a fan off the stage.
This can ruin someone’s life. These are not funny, and if we use real-life issues as the butt of a joke, what kind of respect are we showing? And what’s the point of canceling someone for offending a minority, if we’re just gonna make a joke about it the next day?
The truth is, we cancel, and cancel, and cancel so much that we lose track of the original plot. Then, what about the racism, the homophobia, the misogyny, the genocide? It all becomes a backdrop. Until someone slips and we have an excuse to go back to flaming every other comment section. We’re so focused on keeping our online image clean that oftentimes, we’re arguing just to argue. It seems as if it’s all a distraction from the real issues, out there in the real world, that we’re too scared to face.
Of course, we have cases in which canceling someone is completely plausible.
Abusers, assaulters, racists, or simply anyone who’s against basic human rights for everyone. The thing is: they do not deserve to be canceled, but arrested and charged. The judges of the internet seem to forget that some things are actual crimes with actual sentences, and that losing followers or views is not a suitable punishment. It’s even worse when said abuser or racist fits the mold.
Like I’ve mentioned, we’ve seen people being chased off the internet with pitchforks and torches over an insensitive joke or a snarky comment that wasn’t well-received. But then, the white guys with sexual assault accusations get hate on one video, disappear for two weeks, and then come back like nothing happened. In what world is being childish worse than being a criminal?
And then, we have the gender based standards.
Ashley Barnes, a TikToker, has been harassed inside and outside the internet after very serious assault allegations were brought against her. But James Charles has been exposed multiple times for his predatory behavior, and keeps profiting off millions of views?
We’re always easy to forgive, and way too easy to forget. We cancel everyone and anyone, yet we only keep up that energy with a specific demographic. We demand explanations like we’re the masters of justice, and we decide if the tears were worthy enough of our forgiveness. We force people to apologize for the same thing over and over and over again, until we’re satisfied with their level of blind accountability and obedience. We keep digging up tweets and Tumblr posts from decades ago like it’s leverage to use as an ultimatum, because we refuse to believe that people can actually change and evolve.
I’ve seen creators and celebrities being forced to hold accountability over the same things for years, despite putting in the work and the energy to become better. Because we only accept the change of those who fit our mold. I don’t see anyone giving Ansel Elgort the energy they give Gracie Abrams, and they both had very sticky situations. Maybe he gets a comment here and there, like a reminder that can barely stain his fancy shoes, but then it’s forgotten.
To that, again I ask: what’s the point? And where does it stop?
Either we hold people accountable, or we don’t. Either we cancel them, or we don’t. We can’t pick and choose based on our preferences, the same way we can’t keep trapping these people in cycles of shame and pleas of forgiveness, when they’ve clearly evolved. And we can’t keep working with such contractions, or adding rules to justify or blur said contradictions.
We can’t give a pick-me girl the same energy we give a guy who’s allegedly abusing his wife in the background of cute family videos. And yet, we do. We see a guy using a slur and we forget, but then we see a girl gatekeeping her favorite blush and suddenly she’s the worst! A couple broke up and cheated on each other, so we demand an explanation as if we were part of the relationship as well, but a brand is promoting eugenics, and it’s not that deep. There are hundreds of wars killing innocent people every day, but the real monster is the lazy mother who didn’t cook an organic breakfast from scratch.
Image Sourced through Pinterest
Cancel Culture is not what it used to be. It doesn’t work anymore. It doesn’t help anyone or favor anyone. Cancel Culture is an illusion — it’s marketing, engagement, toxic morality, and a fake sense of power in a world where we’re all pieces of a board game designed by billionaires and corrupt diplomats.
Hiding behind the screen, we turn on each other because that feeling of superiority makes us forget about how miserable the real world truly is. We send hate comments and death threats and shove our noses in everyone’s business because, online, we’re all entitled to something. To have an opinion and to express that opinion however I please, with complete disregard towards the morals and values that keep us a civilized society. We cancel, we demand, we forgive, and we blow small things out of proportion so it keeps us safely stuck in the cycle for a few more hours.
You can only speak inside the mold, because an unpopular opinion will automatically trigger a chain reaction of gasps and insults. You always have to be black and white, because every shade of grey requires a higher level of media literacy that is simply too much work. It’s easier to twist your words and get you canceled for something you didn’t truly say, instead of taking the blame for being wrong or trying to understand that some subjects are not that linear or that plain.
We preach that we’re the open-minded generation, the defenders of human rights, the advocates, the voices that speak for those who can’t. And yet, here we are, canceling each other over bad days and flaws that are common to all of us, while the real issues are brushed under the rug with an hour-long apology video and a social media break.
Why? Are we that desperate in the light of our reality that coming after our own is the only form of escapism? And do we really think that fighting online every single day is gonna make a change?
If we put all the energy we waste in Cancel Culture into signing petitions, calling our reps, sharing resources, supporting organizations, manifesting on the streets, and actually staying informed and speaking up when the time is right, both the world and the internet would be so much better places.
But we’re still too scared to face the big men out there, so instead, we hide in our beds, sending hate comments and playing God with influencers and celebrities that definitely do not need our approval.
So sure, cancel them all!
