Cancel Culture as a Form of Support Or The Cause of Depression

Abhijit Naskar once said “a world where you cannot speak to another person without worrying about what they are going to think of you, has not advanced much from the days when white people used to own slaves”. Cancel culture is a modern form of exclusion in which a person is thrown out of a social or professional circle, whether online, on social media, or in person. Cancellation can take numerous forms, including requiring organizations to cancel particular public appearances or speeches. I will outlining the following advantages and disadvantages: cancel culture as a form of support connection and as the cause of depression; as a way to male people feel good and a way to hurt people's self-esteem; as a way to boost self-esteem and as a way that leads to self-absorption.

Aside from allowing people to reconnect with family and friends, social media became critical communication tool during the pandemic. Firstly, a stay-at-home orders prevented them from meeting in person, people turned to social media to interact with one another and as a result social media became the social connection amongst loved ones. Secondly, for a tool that is designed to bring people together, it may have the opposite impact more especially when arguments erupts online. Thirdly, social media has been connected to sadness, anxiety and loneliness as a means of isolating people. Lastly, it is the responsibility of users to not act with emotions when posting or commenting on social media.

Social media has a habit of reinforcing use. People become addicted to checking their status updates to have information of things that revolve around them. In addition, using social media can sometimes trigger the brain reward area by generating feel-good chemical, which keeps people returning due to relive the good experiences. Furthermore, cancel culture can be beneficial for those who struggle to interact in person due to social anxiety. Lastly, all this feeling might cause feelings of insecurity, envy and discontent. People needs to be aware of the use of social media and stop using it if it affects them badly.

Cancel culture can also promote self-esteem, especially of a person is seen positively or has a large amount of likes or engagements on their work. Firstly, allowing some people to share aspects of their identity that they may find hard to articulate in person. Secondly, it is beneficial to people who struggle to interact with one another. Thirdly, sharing endless selfies and your deepest thoughts can lead to unhealthy self-centeredness that focus on a person to creating an online image rather than making real-life moments with their loved ones. Finally, one must asses how cancel culture affects their lives, including their feelings of using and not utilizing media.

To summarize, we all know by now, based on thousands of scientific studies and practical examples that the true cure for racism and bigotry is connection and communication as well as taking time to listen to, engage with, and understand those who are different even if the conversation does not result in agreement. In addition, no one can influence the minds of others by pushing or silencing them. The only thing we have control over is ourselves and how we react to things around us. We need to work together more than ever to battle larger issues like climate change, pollution, and equality rather than squabbling online about who offended who like tantrum-throwing babies.