Two years ago, Facebook was involved in a data leakage scandal with Cambridge Analytica. The data were illicitly obtained through an app that appeared like a personality quiz.
Once a respondent took the quiz, data of the respondent’s friends’ lists – such as location, age, gender, religious and political beliefs – were also collected without their knowledge.
The data was allegedly used to tailor political ads to influence election results, and in some cases, to spread hate speech. Because of this, companies like Coca-Cola and Starbucks recently “canceled” Facebook with the hashtag #StopHateforProfit.
So, what does it mean to be canceled? According to the Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary website: “Canceling and cancel culture have to do with the removal of support for public figures in response to their objectionable behavior or opinions. This can include boycotts or refusal to promote their work.”
While cancel culture may help raise awareness on issues by sparking conversations that may benefit society, we should be careful of applying it in real life.