Blake Lively went from queen of the Met Gala to facing heat from a sexual assault trial. Ariana Grande was accused of homewrecking, then celebrated for her role in “Wicked.” Although it is important to realize when celebrities make mistakes, with the rise of social media and “cancel culture,” many people are forgetting the difference between doing wrong and simply making mistakes, and the flip-flop between famous and infamous is occurring at incredible speeds.
Cancel culture originally started in the late 2010s when platforms like Youtube and Instagram grew and influencers surfaced. Since then it has become incredibly widespread, and people are exposed to it whether or not they want to be. Last May I deleted all social media apps off of my phone. It was a personal decision I made to help myself focus on school and improve my mental health. However, it made me feel alienated when it came to pop culture. Because I was no longer being fed daily updates, I had no idea what current references meant, when popular songs crossed the line into being overplayed, and which celebrities were causing trouble.
Cancel culture often does more harm than good. Calling someone out on their mistakes can be beneficial at times, but a lot of cancel culture content is created by bored people who might not be well-informed on the issues they are gossiping about. This has led to an increase in widespread hatred and influencer apologies over every little slip up. Because celebrities are so idolized, I think it can be really hard for people to empathize with them. Take the Blue Origin space flight. Katy Perry received insane amounts of backlash, and turned into a national meme. Sure, Perry could have handled the trip with fewer theatrics, but she still experienced a life-altering opportunity. On top of that, hate for her overshadowed Amanda Nguyen’s powerful story as an aspiring astronaut who put her plans on hold to pursue justice for victims of sexual assault.
Social media has so much power but it’s important that it is used to benefit society, not hurt it. It is crucial that we remind ourselves to stay kind, and forgive each other for simply being human.