Cancel Culture as a Punishment of Panopticism

In our society today, “Cancel Culture” is very popular and evident most especially on social media. This term was popularized around the year of 2017 when netizens started exposing public figures’ actions and behaviors that seemed problematic following the act of “canceling” or unsupporting them (Greenspan, 2020). It’s similar to boycotting but with celebrities and brands. It’s like a form of a controlling power wherein the public supervises and regulates the actions of celebrities.

Cancel culture is similar to Panopticon as it portrays the same surveillance happening within the celebrities and their fans. Just like in Panopticon, there is this omnipresent eye that watches over the celebrities’ actions. In this case, the fans or supporters take over this role. The celebrities on the other hand, do not know who these people are specifically but the form of punishment, if they misbehaved, is through what we call cancel culture. But this, per se, is altered because many watch over one. The celebrity who is being watched is in the inner bubble that makes him/her open to the public eye. People high above the chamber do not know specifically who these persons are but he/she knows that he/she is being watched and in a way, they become conscious with the way they act because they know that a mistake can be detrimental to their career and reputation.

From this, it clearly depicts that the audience wants to gain the upper hand or the controlling power through cancel culture. It somehow improves the image of the entertainment industry, such as in Korea as agencies and companies can filter down who actors and actresses are worthy to be sponsored or be featured in their next series. As what I have also observed, cancel culture is sparked by sectors of society only with the support of the public. One example of this is when Aunt Jemima, a pancake syrup product, went viral with its problematic commercials and product history. After Kirby, a singer and a representative of color, exposed the story behind the brand on a TikTok video, this was then called out by the public. As we can see, the sentiments of the black people were addressed through the help of public support. As stated by Dr. Jill McCorkel in the “[They] are designed to reinforce the set of norms.” Society continues to punish and call out not just celebrities and people, but also brand companies for misbehaving. And in a way, this is similar to how Panopticism works.

Cancel culture is good, in a way, because even if someone is popular or famous to the point that they are out of reach of people, their actions are still controlled. The viewers have the upper power to control the well-known person’s actions according to what is right or what fits the norm. Just like an Institutional regulation because it regulates and corrects the people in the industry according to the right behavior set by the public. But still, just like any surveillance, some celebrities might only act the way they are supposed to rather than functioning naturally in the comfort of their own privacy. That is also why privacy is a privilege that famous people do not receive in exchange for their fame. One may even associate this lifestyle with that of prisoners. That’s why most celebrities might often say, “I don’t know who I am anymore,” because the surveillance goes around the clock 24/7, scared of being cancelled at any time just like in the Panopticon prison.

References:

Kato, B. (2021). What is cancel culture? Everything to know about the toxic online trend. New York Post. Retrieved from https://nypost.com/article/what-is-cancel-culture-breaking-down-the-toxic-online-trend/

Cosmopolitan Philippines. (2021). 8 K-Drama Stars Who Got 'Canceled' After Their Breakout Roles. Retrieved from https://www.cosmo.ph/entertainment/korean-actors-who-were-cancelled-breakout-roles-a655-20211022-lfrm

Cost, B. (2020). Aunt Jemima ‘racial stereotype’ gets the ax amid Black Lives Matter backlash. New York Post. Retrieved from https://nypost.com/2020/06/17/aunt-jemima-racial-stereotype-gets-the-axe-amid-blm-backlash/

Dowie, T. (2020). The Truth About Your Uncle Ben and Your Aunt Jemima. Start It Up. Retrieved from https://medium.com/swlh/the-truth-about-your-uncle-ben-and-your-aunt-jemima-de3626b46c97

Greenspan, R. (2020). How 'cancel culture' quickly became one of the buzziest and most controversial ideas on the internet. Insider. Retrieved from https://www.insider.com/cancel-culture-meaning-history-origin-phrase-used-negatively-2020-7