cancel culture

Cancel culture, also called call-out culture, is a cultural phenomenon and a form of freedom of association where people criticize or disassociate from an individual who is thought to have acted or spoken in an unacceptable manner. It usually includes calls over social media for the target to be ostracized, boycotted, shunned or fired. This shunning may extend to social or professional circles‍— whether on social media or in person‍— with most high-profile incidents involving those with influence in media or politics. More generally, cancel culture includes changes in who one honors, such as the removal of monuments from a public square, removing books from school curricula, changing place names, etc. Such subjects are said to have been "canceled". While the careers of some public figures have been impacted by boycotts‍— widely described as "cancellation"⁠— others who have complained of cancellation successfully continued their careers.

The term "cancel culture" came into circulation in 2018 and has mostly negative connotations. Some critics argue that cancel culture has a chilling effect on public discourse, that it is unproductive, that it does not bring real social change, that it causes intolerance, that it amounts to cyberbullying, or that it contributes to political polarization. Others argue that the term is used to attack efforts to promote accountability or give disenfranchised people a voice, and to attack language that is itself free speech. Still others question whether cancel culture is an actual phenomenon, arguing that boycotting existed long before the origin of the term "cancel culture".