‘You are Cancelled’: Emergence of Cancel Culture in the Digital Age

Pages: 252-259
Gayatri Lokhande and Sadhana Natu (Modern College of Arts, Science and Commerce, Ganeshkhind, Pune, Maharashtra)

‘Cancel culture’ is a term on which the internet is widely divided into sections. Initially meant to call out the wrong doings of the people in powerful positions and hold them accountable for their actions, is now also seen as a tool for further exploitation of the marginalized people. It is essential to distinguish between the various terminologies around it in order to understand the various standpoints around it. This research project tries to highlight the same. Social exclusion from the online space can have a significant impact on the mental health of people. Even though this has been discussed, it is essential to see cancel culture in the light of its impact on different hierarchies of the society and the rising intolerance on the online space in the Indian context. Hence, the objectives of the study are-Understanding the history of repression and social exclusion, which has now evolved into a new form known as cancel culture. Investigating the effects of cancel culture on the mental health of various groups. This study is a qualitative analysis of various accounts of cancel culture. The methodology consists of interviews of experts from the fields of psychology, political science and media and film studies. It also relies on the secondary data analysis of various journal articles, news articles and books. The theoretical framework of the study is Martha Nussbaum’s theory of objectification and Noelle-Neumann’s spiral of silence theory and the result is consistent with it. The conclusion summarizes the key findings and considers their broader implications. the study’s rationale is to comprehend the complexities of cancel culture in the light of intolerance and study the mental health implications for various sections of society in India.