With a simple click, calls are made across the world, bridging gaps of distance. At our fingertips, we hold the power to stream clips of performances miles away. News is spread within instants through numerous platforms. In 2023, we have access to many voices at just a mere search away. Social media has forever changed the way we interact with people, both in positive and negative ways. Yet as we have grown more familiar and accustomed to social media, we see a revolution in the way we utilize it.

 According to the Pew Research Center, “The phrase “cancel culture” is said to have originated from a relatively obscure slang term – “cancel,” referring to breaking up with someone – used in a 1980s song. This term was then referenced in film and television and later evolved and gained traction on social media…Over the past several years, cancel culture has become a deeply contested idea in the nation’s political discourse. There are plenty of debates over what it is and what it means, including whether it’s a way to hold people accountable, or a tactic to punish others unjustly, or a mix of both. ” 

Now, this term has evolved to, according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, “[refer] to the mass withdrawal of support from public figures or celebrities who have done things that aren’t socially accepted today. This practice of “canceling” or mass shaming often occurs on social media platforms such as Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook.” The premise behind cancel culture is simple: accountability. Freshman Arjun Pany states, “At the core of cancel culture is good intentions and accountability.” An article by Vox expands on this, stating, “Taken in good faith, the concept of “canceling” a person is really about questions of accountability — about how to navigate a social and public sphere in which celebrities, politicians, and other public figures who say or do bad things continue to have significant platforms and influence… Taken in bad faith, however, ‘cancel culture’ becomes an omniscient and dangerous specter: a woke, online social justice mob that’s ready to rise up and attack anyone, even other progressives, at the merest sign of dissent.” 

Cancel culture can easily be warped to extremes, with junior Stanley Lee stating, “People feed off of drama, so they’ll try to “cancel” people (usually celebrities) by slandering, providing (sometimes fake) evidence, and other means. Online, lots of people don’t care about the consequences of canceling someone, they just do it for fun.” This is compounded by the fact that online, people can act anonymously, taking none of the consequences that they would in real life – oftentimes, there is minimal risk involved.  Sophomore Daphne Chen compounds Lee’s statement, stating, “Often, the reasons to cancel are overreactions.” This can have harmful impacts. Senior Anusha Manoj states, “The problem with aggressive cancel culture is that  it censors a lot of people’s opinions. Whether they are right or not does not really matter unless their statements are actively harming someone or spreading misinformation. Obviously, there are gray areas, but the vast majority of people with “reasonable” (reasonable according to me) opinions shouldn’t be canceled just for saying something that they agree with.” Online, there is little room for nuance, so statements are easily misinterpreted. 

While holding people accountable is critical to a functioning world, cancel culture has been taken to an extreme and  led social media to become increasingly polarized, creating an environment where people immediately shut down those that do not agree with them. Cancel culture is necessary for keeping people accountable, but when expanded to spaces where individuals are trying to learn online, it leads to a polarized sphere of suppression. Manoj says, “Cancel culture has people afraid of saying anything – so when unreasonable people label their statement or cause as “woke,” anyone who defies them is immediately canceled… People are scared, because they believe that calling that behavior out is some sort of -ist, so they let it go, even [when] that behavior is predatory.” Drawing a line between enforcing accountability online and excessively perpetuating fear is something yet to be accomplished. Manoj states that respectful discussion is key: “I think using sentences like ‘I disagree with [statement] because [reason]’ or ‘you make some fair points, but [counterargument]’ would help a lot in making sure discussion is respectful.” 

Since we are young, we are taught that making mistakes is human, and it is our growth that matters. Accountability and taking responsibility for one’s actions are necessary for this to happen, but when this is taken too far it results in an environment plagued by fear, where nobody can learn or grow. As we traverse the online world, it is important to keep ourselves and those around us accountable, but ultimately, we must do so in a way that is fueled by integrity and concern rather than hatred.