Research Article
Open access
Published on 21 February 2025
Download pdf
Liu,Y. (2025). Cancel Culture's Torrent: The Challenges Faced by Celebrity and Brand. Lecture Notes in Education Psychology and Public Media,85,51-57.
Export citation

Cancel Culture's Torrent: The Challenges Faced by Celebrity and Brand

Yuanyi Liu *,1,
  • 1 University of Melbourne

* Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

https://doi.org/10.54254/2753-7048/2025.20913

Abstract

In the digital era, cancel culture has become a potent social force, influencing brands and celebrities. With the increasing prevalence of social media platforms accelerating its spread, this research aims to unearth the drivers and consequences of cancel culture for both brands and celebrities, employing case studies of IVE and L'Oréal, it utilizes the power within relationships theory, and Heuristic typology in congruence theory to do the research. Findings reveal that cultural missteps or value breaches, like IVE's cultural misrepresentation and L'Oréal's controversial dismissal, trigger cancellations. Consumers' power perception and value congruence shape responses. Brands and celebrities can rebound through transparency and value realignment. The study concludes that while cancel culture poses risks, entities can safeguard themselves by embracing accountability and diversity. Moreover, understanding the generative reasons behind cancel culture is crucial in an age where public opinion wields significant influence, and it offers a strategic compass for brands/celebrities and a foundation for future research on this complex cultural phenomenon.

Keywords

Cancel Culture, Brand Recovery, Celebrity Boycott, Consumer Behavior

[1]. Ng, E. (2022). Cancel culture : a critical analysis. Palgrave Macmillan.

[2]. Scheinbaum, A. C., & Poehlman, T. A. (2024). Corporate Cancel Culture. Routledge EBooks, 4–33. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781032670546-2

[3]. Heather, D. (2021). Accountability, Exile and Social Media: An Analysis of Contemporary Online Public Shaming Practices and “Cancel Culture.” https://doi.org/10.7939/r3-cqfy-2849

[4]. Demsar, V., Ferraro, C., Nguyen, J., & Sands, S. (2023). Calling for Cancellation: Understanding how Markets Are Shaped to Realign With Prevailing Societal Values. Journal of Macromarketing, 43(3), 027614672311688-027614672311688. https://doi.org/10.1177/02761467231168874

[5]. Huston, T. L. (1983). Power. Close relationships, 169-219.

[6]. Saldanha, N., Mulye, R., & Rahman, K. (2022). Cancel culture and the consumer: A strategic marketing perspective. Journal of Strategic Marketing, 31(5), 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1080/0965254x.2022.2040577

[7]. Winch, R. F. (1947). Heuristic and Empirical Typologies: A Job for Factor Analysis. American Sociological Review, 12(1), 68. https://doi.org/10.2307/2086492

[8]. Baron, J., Beattie, J., & Hershey, J. C. (1988). Heuristics and biases in diagnostic reasoning. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 42(1), 88–110. https://doi.org/10.1016/0749-5978(88)90021-0

[9]. Ghosh, A. (2021). A Study of Online Brand Activism and its Impact on Consumer Brand Relationship. SSRN Electronic Journal. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4028569

[10]. Scott, M. B., & Lyman, S. M. (1968). Accounts. American Sociological Review, 33(1), 46. https://doi.org/10.2307/2092239

[11]. Scheufle, D. A., & Moy, P. (2000). TWENTY-FIVE YEARS OF THE SPIRAL OF SILENCE: A CONCEPTUAL REVIEW AND EMPIRICAL OUTLOOK. International Journal of Public Opinion Research, 12(1), 3–28. https://doi.org/10.1093/ijpor/12.1.3

[12]. Bouvier, G., & Machin, D. (2021). What gets lost in Twitter “cancel culture” hashtags? Calling out racists reveals some limitations of social justice campaigns. Discourse & Society, 32(3), 307–327. https://doi.org/10.1177/0957926520977215

Cite this article

Liu,Y. (2025). Cancel Culture's Torrent: The Challenges Faced by Celebrity and Brand. Lecture Notes in Education Psychology and Public Media,85,51-57.

Data availability

The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study will be available from the authors upon reasonable request.

Disclaimer/Publisher's Note

The statements, opinions and data contained in all publications are solely those of the individual author(s) and contributor(s) and not of EWA Publishing and/or the editor(s). EWA Publishing and/or the editor(s) disclaim responsibility for any injury to people or property resulting from any ideas, methods, instructions or products referred to in the content.

About volume

Volume title: Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference on Social Psychology and Humanity Studies

Conference website: https://2025.icsphs.org
ISBN:978-1-83558-957-1(Print) / 978-1-83558-958-8(Online)
Conference date: 14 February 2025
Editor:Kurt Buhring
Series: Lecture Notes in Education Psychology and Public Media
Volume number: Vol.85
ISSN:2753-7048(Print) / 2753-7056(Online)

© 2024 by the author(s). Licensee EWA Publishing, Oxford, UK. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license. Authors who publish this series agree to the following terms:
1. Authors retain copyright and grant the series right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of the work's authorship and initial publication in this series.
2. Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the series's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgment of its initial publication in this series.
3. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See Open access policy for details).