Everywhere you look on social media, it seems a new person is being “canceled.” The one word that can destroy careers, reputations or even someone’s life.

“Canceling” somebody was initially a way to call out those in the public eye for problematic or harmful behavior. In its beginnings, it was effective in giving a voice to those with no other means of expression and taking away platforms from those who were problematic or corrupt. It forced people to answer for things they had gotten away with for years, becoming a necessity on social media.

However, “cancel culture” has spiraled out of control into blatant public shaming. Actress Rachel Zegler has gotten “canceled” for calling the original Snow White film “outdated.” And everyone remembers when former TikTok dancer turned Broadway Star Charli D’Amelio got “canceled” for not eating snails. Cancel culture has turned away from holding public figures accountable to a ridiculous way for the media to spread hate.

It even goes as far as harassment, stalking and death threats. It no longer allows people to reflect on or grow from their mistakes, but instead casts them out of the public eye immediately.

Social media fuels cancel culture because it promotes the type of content that keeps users engaged. Hate, drama and controversy are all topics that keep us scrolling for hours. When some of the biggest public figures do something wrong or even slightly annoying, they face backlash that keeps us entertained.

Additionally, “cancel culture” focuses on damaging the careers of people who make simple mistakes rather than calling out those with a history of racism, sexism, homophobia or any form of prejudice. Kanye West has been one of the faces of hip-hop, but there is no denying his past of antisemitism, yet he is still praised for his music career. Similarly, Sean “Diddy” Combs, while amidst a trial, hasn’t faced “cancelling” from the media in the same way other public figures have, and his actions are even used as humor.

Canceling celebrities, despite the harm it causes, is also very frequently ineffective. Because it is so easy to “cancel” somebody, it has lost its meaning entirely. Both James Charles and Trisha Paytas have faced backlash that led to them being “canceled”, yet it failed, and both still have platforms and careers in social media.

The media forces apologies for their wrongdoings, but there are very few times these are actually recognized and taken into account. When we get apologies from those we “cancel,” they are presented as inauthentic, posed and calculated. So while cancel culture is presented as a way for the media to hold those with platforms accountable, the truth is that it wants somebody to direct their hate and anger towards.

It is critically important to hold those with power and influence accountable for their actions, but cancel culture isn’t the way to go about it. This is a heavily flawed method that centers on spreading hate, misinformation and ruining the lives of those who take an action that upsets us. While it might sound cliché to say everybody makes mistakes, it is true, and we on social media shouldn’t be putting celebrities on a pedestal that makes them perfect human beings.

Rather, allowing for reflection and growth after mistakes will be far more effective than any celebrity cancellation.