Cancel Culture: Who, What, Where, When and Why

Cancel culture has rapidly developed into a social phenomenon sweeping through the internet as a new-age moral enforcement mechanism. When individuals call out others for their actions (past or present), they are attempting to bring attention to said others in order to bring about a form of justice. As social media has provided a medium for any individual to have a voice, and the population of individuals watching everyone else’s behavior has become broader and more diverse than ever before. On the surface, it appears anyone can be cancelled by anyone for any reason and it all may look random or unjustified – but only at first. The student working on this project will be part of pioneering the academic literature on this topic. The proposed project will investigate the individual differences, including personal views and personality, that predict likelihood to experience moral catastrophizing, and in turn participation in piling on and ultimately canceling others.

Faculty Supervisor:

Rhiannon Mesler

Student:

Partner:

Universidade Tecnológica Federal do Paraná

Discipline:

Sociology

Sector:

Education

University:

University of Lethbridge

Program: