What is Cancel Culture?

The phenomenon of cancel culture, as it is known, has become a prevalent part of society in the last few years on social media and in everyday life. Whether you're a part of Gen-Z, a millennial or older, it seems everyone has different interpretations of what the phrase means. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, cancel culture is the societal rejection of something or someone, mostly online, because of their actions or words which have defied societal norms.​

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                               Photo:  Michael Dziedzic, Unsplash

Thanks to these said words and actions, celebrities and notable figures have been 'cancelled' or blacklisted  by the culture of the internet, including those whom were once beloved by many. Examples of cancelled individuals in recent years have been rapper DaBaby, who was called out when he made homophobic comments at Rolling Loud Festival in July 2021, and Ellen DeGeneres, who was accused of treating her employees badly on multiple occasions on her show.

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Whether it is for online comments, or unverified allegations, there is no doubt that the internet has the power to make or break careers in 2022.