While cancel culture can seem like an unnecessary form of online shaming, it has the ability to highlight important issues, encouraging social accountability.
It is common for people’s old posts to resurface on social media, revealing funny moments from the past or forgotten internet memes, but not all of them are harmless. Some reveal a person’s poor judgement and behavior, calling their character into question and activating cancel culture – a public withdrawal of support for a person, denouncing their actions as socially unacceptable.
This reaction is not always beneficial, as it can wrongfully accuse or exaggerate an influencer’s behavior, criticizing them undeservedly. For example, TikTok star Charli D’Amelio received extreme backlash from a video displaying a non-serious encounter in 2020.
In the video, D’Amelio is seen making faces of disgust upon finding a snail in her paella that was prepared by a private chef. She bent over the side of the table and appeared to vomit.
Social media turned this encounter into a well-known situation across platforms, perpetuating extreme backlash. Comments called the then-16-year-old’s actions annoying, disrespectful and rude, exemplifying how cancel culture is not always beneficial but rather harmful when it excessively criticizes people for innocent mistakes.
However, it is advantageous when it informs the public of a person’s true morals and character, minimizing their influence. Particularly on reality television, contestants’ outreach expands as they often become influencers on social media platforms afterwards, making it crucial that their impact is positive.
Taylor Frankie Paul, the former soon-to-be bachelorette on the 22nd season of the reality TV series, “The Bachelorette,” recently found herself held accountable for a video from 2023. Initially released by TMZ, the clip revealed Paul exhibiting violent behavior and throwing a chair at her ex-boyfriend, Dakota Mortensen, in an argument with her child present. Paul appeared on the reality TV series, “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives,” that premiered in 2024, so she had an audience anticipating her season of “The Bachelorette.”
Along with the video, the Utah Police Department has an ongoing investigation for domestic assault involving Paul and Mortensen.
The video gained traction and backlash on social media, causing ABC to abruptly cancel the season just days before its premiere. Since Paul’s season was done filming when it was cancelled, the video cost “The Bachelor” franchise money and time.
While the season’s cancellation can be seen as an exaggeration, it reveals ABC’s values and honorable standards. This instance exemplifies how cancel culture can ultimately be beneficial as it prevents viewers from being negatively influenced by unfit prominent figures.
With a fanbase as large as “The Bachelorette,” it allows for an easy pathway from contestant to social media influencer. For example, the Bachelorette of Season 21, Jenn Tran, now has over 500 thousand followers on Instagram. The release of Paul’s season would have given her more influence, making it important her season was terminated after her actions were exposed.
This is not the first time a social media video outed a contestant on a reality television show. Season 8 of “Love Island USA” sent home two contestants, Cierra Ortega and Yulissa Escobar, due to videos that revealed them both saying racial slurs. These circulated on social media while the show was filming.
Unlike “The Bachelorette,” “Love Island USA” is a real-time production. When this crisis arose mid-season, they chose to release the contestants instead of terminating the entire season. Ortega and Escobar’s departure decreased the harmful impact their offensive actions had on viewers.
Cancel culture’s unforgiving nature can be cruel, especially to undeserving recipients, but it holds influential people accountable. Social media users should continue to hold highly influential individuals to the highest moral standards.
This story was written by Amelia Lerret. She can be reached at [email protected].
