The Effect of Cancel Culture to Free Speech on Social Media: Input for Drafting Legislation

Roden A. Samson¹ , Kenneth Humpay²

1. College of Arts and Sciences, Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Muntinlupa, Muntinlupa City, Philippines.
2. Claro M. Recto Academy of Advanced Studies of LPU Manila, Manila City, Philippines.

Section:Research Paper, Product Type: Journal-Paper
Vol.10 , Issue.7 , pp.141-150, Jul-2024

Online published on Jul 31, 2024

Copyright © Roden A. Samson, Kenneth Humpay . This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
 

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Abstract :
Cancel culture, a digital phenomenon that has gained significant attention, is a boycott in which someone is called out and then "canceled" for their inappropriate behavior after voicing a disagreeable view, taking a stance regarded as "inappropriate," or acting in a way deemed offensive. The Philippines is taking a hard stance against this phenomenon by passing the first anti-cancel culture law in history, which legal experts believe could set a global precedent. This significant step could influence how other countries approach cancel culture [10]. If this proposed legislation is approved, it could significantly impact how individuals in the country express themselves and communicate on social media. In this context, the study aims to gather insights from Muntinlupeños` personal experiences and viewpoints on how cancel culture limits their ability to express themselves on social media freely. Muntinlupeños are people living in Muntinlupa, one of the cities in the Philippines` National Capital Region (NCR). Their shared inputs are important in formulating appropriate legislation to combat cancel culture and uphold the country’s democracy, allowing everyone to express themselves, even on social media, freely. The study has four (4) general inquiries: 1) the effect of cancel culture to free speech on social media, 2) the significant difference in the effect of cancel culture to the respondents` free speech on social media when grouped according to their demographic profile, 3) the significant relationship between the respondents’ knowledge and understanding of cancel culture and its effect to free speech on social media, and 4) the proposed action or program to address the effect of cancel culture to preserve the country’s democracy. The study used a quantitative descriptive approach to gather and analyze the data. A modified survey questionnaire assessed the demographic profile and determined how cancel culture affects free speech on social media. The study shows that the respondents understood cancel culture`s context, objective or purpose, and consequences. They also attested that cancel culture frequently happens on social media. Conversely, the study shows that cancel culture significantly affects respondents` free speech, especially when expressing or posting their ideas and opinions, commenting or reacting to public posts, and sharing information and public posts on social media, respectively. As a result, cancel culture is a serious problem that jeopardizes Philippine democracy.

Key-Words / Index Term :
Effect of Cancel Culture, Understanding Cancel Culture, Free Speech, Freedom of Expression, Social Media

References :
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[2] A.D Udeagbaja, “On the Myth of Cancel Culture,” Varsity Publications Ltd., Cambridge, United Kingdom, 2021
[3] Anonymous, “Cancel Culture and Social Media,” Ethics Sage, 2021
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[5] Haidt and Lukianoff, “Why It’s a Bad Idea to Tell Students Words are Violence,” The Atlantic Monthly Group, 2024.
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[8] Lukianoff and Schlott, “The Cancelling of the American Mind: Cancel Culture Undermines Trust and Threatens Us All – But There is a Solution,” Simon and Schuster, pp.294, 2023.
[9] Lukianoff and Schlott, “To Stop Cancel Culture from Killing Society, We Need to Embrace Free Speech,” NYP Holdings, Inc., 2023
[10] M. Tondo, “Cancel Culture, Philippines,” Lampoon Publishing House, 2019.