Does cancel culture (or “callout culture”) promote social change?

Written and fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Whether cancel culture promotes social change or bullying is widely debated. Some argue it allows the public and marginalized people to seek accountability in their leaders, gives a voice to disenfranchised or less powerful people, and is simply a new form of boycott. Others see cancel culture as a dangerous form of bullying, a suppression of free speech, and a form of intolerance that harms democratic societies by excluding and ostracizing anyone with contrary views. For more on the cancel culture debate, visit ProCon.org.