We've seen the most highprofile victims of 'cancel culture' in the world of celebrity and royalty, but the phenomenon can impact anyone or anything in the public eye.
Cancel culture is the act of publicly boycotting something – or someone – often on the grounds of opposing moral, ethical, cultural or political reasons. It often results in the victim or target being exposed to a mass online public reaction to those perceived wrongdoings. In the past few months alone, we’ve seen the very tragic impact that the threat of cancel culture can pose.
The word ‘cancel’ is loaded with a sense of finality. However, the reality is that most celebrities won’t feel a lasting impact on their career, even when their wrongdoing is severe. For instance, in the wake of the #MeToo movement American comedian, Louise CK admitted sexual misconduct, yet he went on to sell out five shows not long afterwards. This suggests that the cancellation could only be temporary, or perhaps that such behaviours are only denounced in the woke bubble of Twitter, leading to frustration that powerful individuals seemingly may not actually feel real consequences in their working lives.
This isn’t a new phenomenon. As far back as 2016, #TaylorSwiftIsCancelled trended on Twitter following a public quarrel with Kanye West over his song lyric about her. Though Swift spoke of how this was incredibly tough and damaging on a personal level, she remains one of the world’s biggest recording artists. Should that success have to come at such a price?
The tragic passing of Love Island host, Caroline Flack not long after she was arrested and charged for an alleged domestic violence incident saw many members of the public, and large swathes of the popular press, turn against her. It reinforces Swift’s point of how cruel messaging online can have such damaging effects. It also begs the question of whether women in the public eye are targeted more harshly for their perceived wrongdoing. Perhaps definitions of cancel culture should include more of a focus on the psychological impact rather than just the commercial repercussions.
The attention inevitably switches to how brands and businesses themselves can find themselves embroiled in cancel culture. North Yorkshire sausage maker Heck faced a torrid time online just before December’s General Election when they were viewed to be supporting Boris Johnson, simply by welcoming the Prime Minister to their factory on his visit to the region.
Others are wielding cancel culture for their own benefit. Greggs know full well Piers Morgan is going to wail into his cornflakes on Good Morning Britain and all over his Twitter feed, promising he’ll never eat another sausage roll again because they have the temerity to pander to the vegan brigade. Ask Greggs how the sale of their vegan products rocket every time he calls for a boycott on them.
Just before last month’s Budget, Twitter users attempted to ‘cancel’ or boycott Yorkshire Tea because Chancellor, Rishi Sunak posted a photo about his hard work, which featured the brand in the background. Thousands furiously mistook this for a deliberate collaboration, but Yorkshire Tea responded by asking anyone who wants to vent their rage online to remember that there are human beings at the receiving end of those rants, calling out one user in the most meme-worthy tweet of the year so far: “Sue, you’re shouting at tea”.
Like Greggs, it’s not difficult to see Yorkshire Tea’s reaction as cashing in on cancel culture. Nevertheless, by humanising the brand it may help to emphasise the impact cancel culture has on an individual and how this needs to be valued.
