Cancel culture is one big issue in the virtual space today, even though it's not restricted to just social media. I believe this act is widely practiced online just because everyone feels safe criticizing, rejecting, and condemning others since it's a virtual space. It's actually a safe space for some people due to the anonymity and distance; they feel untouchable when online and can spit whatever they want, whether good or bad, while it's the other way around on physical ground.
Many social platform users who actively practice this cancel culture act wouldn't dare say the things they publish online without social media, and I have seen a lot despite my little engagement across different social platforms.
To my best knowledge, cancel culture is the practice of publicly calling out individuals or groups for their wrongdoing, and it's something we see on different social platforms today. It happens almost every day because social platforms have empowered people by giving them the voice and audience they need.
If we are being honest, I do not have anything against cancel culture because it is an effective way of making people accountable, promoting justice, and knocking some senses into people for their wrongdoings. But it's unfortunate that a lot of people now use cancel culture as a tool or weapon to support wrongdoing, bullying, settling scores, destroying people emotionally, and even manipulating minds.
I am not surprised, though, because every good thing in the wrong hands will be used as evil, and that's the case of how cancel culture has been used negatively on various social platforms. Abusing cancel culture has become a trend, and the culprits don't bother about the effects on their victims.
Among all social platforms, I spend more time on Facebook watching videos whenever I am bored. I usually do not see the need for engagement due to the toxicity of the Internet. People will dump their shit on you and just move on like nothing happened. All these combined wear me off, and just enjoying videos is enough for me.
While surfing Facebook, I saw a Nigerian lady who lives in Dubai. She makes videos about her lifestyle, but with another cast, a Nigerian lady and two Filipinos who work as her maid.
The very first time I saw the video, I knew everything was scripted, but her contents aren't harmful, and in fact, there are lessons in them. A lot of people find those videos entertaining, and she has a lot of active followers.
Suddenly, I started seeing some write-ups from a blogger about that particular woman. This blogger is not just trying to prove a point; she was ready to pull this lady down just to grow their accounts instead of being creative and making her content.
Unfortunately for this Nigerian- Dubai-based content creator, more bloggers are picking up on her just to paint her evil for posting a harmless scripted lifestyle. She has been trying to be strong, and I feel like people are going way too far with the act of canceling culture.
Looking at things from another perspective, we have seen how politicians and celebrities are being called out for clarity on thriving issues. Cancel culture has made many of them adjust and also prevented them from abusing the power or position bestowed upon them, which is a great deal.
But it feels like the bad impact of cancel culture outweighs the good. And just like the woman I mentioned earlier, many people who have made good contributions or made their positive opinions known about issues online have been not just silenced but also torn apart by people who want to impose their opinion on others, and they have successfully used cancel culture because of the fame, wealth, and the strong influence they have online.
If cancel culture can be used positively, which I don't see happening, the virtual space will be a more decent place for people to share their opinions without the fear of being attacked by people who think otherwise about what they have shared. A lot of people indulging in the act of cancel culture have created a culture of fear, where people are reluctant to share their thoughts or engage in meaningful discussions and this will gradually erase the availability of thoughtful opinions from creative minds who don't want any form of attack.
Not every opinion will be perfect, and even when it doesn't sit well with us, there are proper approaches to calling people out instead of intentionally hurting them just because we want to prove a point. It's time we consider constructive engagement online over cancel culture because that's the only way we can put constructive argument, empathy, and understanding into consideration.
It's high time we create a virtual space that embraces diversity in ideas and opinions in a way that would hurt other feelings. This doesn't put a stop to calling out people for their wrongdoings; it would only mean that we are doing it in a more appropriate way.
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