Opinion by J1 Reporter Ava Finn

One small mistake made on social media can jeopardize someone’s entire career.  High school students see the effects of cancel culture every day through the media. Someone can make one small mistake and it will be blasted to the entire internet, which is a vast and scary place. In high school we see cancel culture through rumors being spread without anyone knowing the full story.

When you “cancel” someone you publicly criticize or boycott a specific person to tarnish their reputation to the public. Someone is usually “canceled” by the media fan base. In order to “punish” the person in question you ignore everything they do. You are trying to “cancel” them from the media. When you get a person to stop showing up in the everyday algorithm they will eventually filter out.

When a celebrity is removed from the main algorithm their fan base eventually stops growing. They lose all of their revenue.The media does this to feel like they are holding the person accountable, it makes the consumer feel like they have control.

Cancel culture appears in everyday student life. With social media rumors can spread much faster than just by word of mouth. Information is spread through screenshots, texts, phone calls, or by word of mouth. The students’ reputation is ruined before they even go to school the next day. This leads to a student being excluded or judged without the entire context of the situation being known. One comment or mistake can ruin someone’s high school experience without a chance to redeem themselves.

Students are still growing and developing. When you are still figuring out who you are being judged and excluded can severely damage a student’s mental health. Being publicly shamed can discourage people from voicing their opinion and standing up for their mistakes.

There is a thin line between holding someone accountable and trying to purposely tarnish their reputation. When we see cancel culture usually the person canceled wants to voice their side of the story or produce an apology. For example, when Coleen Ballinger, famous for her role on social media as Miranda Sings, was canceled she made a childish response to the accusations made against her. Her apology is famously known across the internet for being unserious and like a joke. Her response was to make a song regarding the situation. Ballinger sat down on her bed and sang a song on her ukulele about how she was wrongfully accused. After her “apology” video her presence on the internet diminished.

It is important to know whether an apology is sincere or not before you cancel someone. Some apologies are sincere and some harmful behavior can not be excused. Forgiveness is not automatic but punishment is not endless.

Instead of cancel culture students should be more mindful before reposting accusations or joining people in the exclusion of someone. It is important that we take in and certify all information before trying to do any real damage to a person’s reputation. Our primary focus when someone does something wrong should not be their punishment. We should bring light to a situation and make sure the behavior is corrected. It is important to keep room for apologies and corrected behavior. We can have accountability without abandoning fairness.

One mistake should not define someone’s life. Actions should have consequences but the consequences should leave an open door for change and growth. As students, we want to be a part of a community that will allow us to grow within our mistakes and become better people. High school is a place we are supposed to learn who we are and also who we have been.

Please leave any of your opinions about cancel culture or canceled celebrities in the comments!