Cancel culture is an internet phenomenon: a person’s reputation, fame or notoriety is questioned because of their controversial actions. It is sometimes caused by an old social media post, a video or an accusation resurfacing. Does cancel culture affect ordinary people more deeply than celebrities? The consequences of this phenomenon on the lives of famous and average individuals needs to be looked at.
On the one hand, when a celebrity gets canceled, it draws even more attention to them. Indeed, it seems that the more people talk about them, the better it is – even if what is said about them is negative. When Kim Kardashian launched her underwear brand ‘Kimono’ in 2019, she received a lot of backlash, especially on social media. She was accused of cultural appropriation because of the obvious reference to the traditional Japanese kimono. Although she was extremely criticized, the clothing line still sold out. Kim Kardashian then relaunched her brand under a new name, ‘Skims’. She got away with this change as everyone seemed to have moved on and forgotten about it. This incident was not Kim Kardashian’s first controversy. She has been accused of blackfishing and appropriating Afro-American culture. Yet, Kim Kardashian’s career has not been affected by any of those controversies. According to the magazine Forbes, her net worth is as high as $780M as of October 2020. In all, even if Kardashian has been heavily criticized for years, her fame seems to prevent her from facing economic consequences. Surprisingly, people keep following her and buying the new products that she puts out no matter what.
More recently, content creator Colleen Ballinger has faced intense backlash after Adam McIntyre’s, one of her former followers , accused her of grooming him and other fans. The young man uploaded ‘i was right about colleen ballinger’ on YouTube in June 2023, bringing attention to the 38 year old’s behaviour. According to McIntyre, Ballinger was inappropriate in group chats with minors, and the messages exchanged between her and her fans were too graphic. After Adam McIntyre showed proof of these allegations, social media users and traditional media outlets quickly picked up the story. Ballinger denied these allegations, but a major part of her audience lost trust in her and started to bring up her questionable past. Since the accusations, the YouTuber has lost millions of subscribers and her videos are not as popular as they used to be. Yet, a significant amount of viewers still watch her content, allowing Ballinger to maintain her luxurious L.A. lifestyle.
On the other hand, if a regular person gets canceled, their entire life can take a shift and change for the worse. Indeed, being canceled has real and direct consequences for them. Following the tragic death of George Floyd in early 2020, the Black Lives Matter movement rose again. Social media activists exposed racist behaviours and raised awareness. As a consequence, many racist TikTokers were held accountable for making discriminatory videos. Twitter users quickly found the private information of said TikTokers – including their schools and families. Many of them were even expelled from college or lost their scholarships because of their offensive posts on social media. For example, CBS46 Atlanta reported on a racist video shot by two Carrollton High School students. They were both expelled a few days after their TikTok went viral.
Similarly, a woman named Ms. Groves was called out for using the n-word in a Snapchat video when she was fifteen. When the video resurfaced four years later, her dream university revoked her admission. Indeed, the University of Tennessee had received phone calls from hundreds of students and members of the community. Even though racism can never be justified nor easily brushed off, we can come to the conclusion that the consequences of these teenagers’ actions affected them deeply. Their posts had real consequences on their lives outside the internet, unlike celebrities.
Celebrities who are ‘canceled’ can still be influential after their various scandals, meanwhile people who live a daily average life are held accountable more frequently. Issues such as hate speech, discrimination, and prejudice need to be taken seriously. However, it seems that there are double standards when it comes to what the public expects from celebrities and average people.
Celebrities are privileged, as time makes the public forget about their scandals or even accept them as part of their personalities. Meanwhile, Joe and Jane Does can hardly get back on their feet after a serious controversy.
Allison Caudron
Crédits photographiques : https://www.rawpixel.com/image/6111754.
Sources
‘‘A racist TikTok video made by local teens ends up going viral.’’ Youtube, uploaded by CBS46 Atlanta, 17 Apr. 2020, www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mu3cm71Nbv0.
‘‘Imagine getting kicked out of school for saying the N-word.’’ YouTube, uploaded by D’Angelo Wallace, 4 Jan. 2021, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c12h51jBTS4&t=1s.
‘‘Twitter Permanently Bans Trump, Citing ‘Risk Of Further Incitement Of Violence’ | TODAY.’’ YouTube, uploaded by TODAY, 9 January 2021, www.youtube.com/watch?v=xIqYT3jB26c. ‘‘2020 AMERICA’S SELF-MADE WOMEN NET WORTH.’’ Forbes, 13 Oct. 2020, www.forbes.com/profile/kim-kardashian/?sh=4640858c5230.