Observation
1. #canceled has 34.7k+ posts on
Instagram
o Its other spelling #cancelled
has an additional 115k+ post
o #cancelculture has 380 post
2. Two students discussed whether or
not Liam Neeson should be next on
the “Canceled List”
3. In GroupMe a team member said
that she had officially canceled her
roommate. Has stopped talking to
her and plans to request another
roommate for next semester.
o Roommate apparently
snores too loud
4. A professor of mine shared her
criticism of cancel culture with the
class
5. A girl I was sitting next to said “nah
that sh*ts canceled we straight
decking n*gg*s now, no more
explaining”
6. #cancelkamala targets Kamala
Harris launches
1. What surprised you?
o In observation number 5 I was surprised to hear in my head the question “who is the
‘we’ that she was referring to.
2. What beliefs or ideas did you confirm?
o I confirmed that cancel culture does in fact reach deep into how we interact with
those around us and are supposed to be close to us.
Reasons
 The term is one that can be applied to anything
whether it be products, companies or people
 Liam Neeson told a story in an interview about
how he once roamed the streets looking to kill
any “black bastard” in revenge to a friend that
was raped
 Public outrage in-sued on social media since
there was little to no news media coverage about
it
 Public outrage demanded an apology from the
star
 Common term that can be used for anything and
one
 Team member has since been distant from her
roommate since the “cancellation”. Has not
talked it over with her.
 Cancel Culture brings attention to big fashion
companies like Gucci and Versache
 Attention Economics says that this is exactly what
they are hoping for so Cancel Culture hear would
be uneffective
 “Canceled” is a common term now
 The usage of “we” can be seen as a sign of
groupthink or hive mentality
 “Target” – Cancel culture can be seen as a loaded
gun waiting to go off at the slightest offence near
it
3. How does what you observed connect to your research?

o The observations I made have resonated with some of the sources I found

dealing with groupthink and hive mentalities amongst people.

4. What does this process make you more curious about?

o Slightly unrelated to my topic but how does mob mentality or group pressure

cause us to come out of the individual and base our accountability within the

hands of a group. Through my observations I can help to think about how

protests turn into riots which in a way that I cant altogether explain right now

reminds me of cancel culture and how quickly things can escalate.

5. What is your subject position and how has it affected your observations? (That is, how does

who you are shape what you can and can’t see; see chapter 2 for help with this)

o I am a 20 year old avid social media user and self proclaimed social extroverted

introvert who tends to skip over negative posts when they become too much for

her. Because of the selective viewing on social media I was not aware of how

seeping “cancel culture” was outside of the apps and the news until I started

paying attention to what I was saying and how those around me acted; when I

began to see similarities I became a bit overwhelmed and it kept me from seeing

a solution or a way to better the problem.

6. What do you think your observations mean?

o My observations tell me that we have a developing situation that is shaping the

way we interact with others and in many ways validates my reasoning for wanting

to research this topic in the first place.