Cancel Culture within the Framework of New Media's Memorial Discourse: A Critical Analysis

Abstract

The article addresses the issue of historical memory transformation in the digital era. Its aim is to critically analyze the “cancel culture” as a tool for shaping and transmitting historical identity in the digital realm and beyond. The realm of new media where the cancel culture phenomenon emerged, is selected as the field of research. Consequently, the article seeks to bridge conceptual topics in memory studies with media theory. New media exhibit significant differences from traditional media, influencing a shift in discursive rules and leading to the reorganization of discursive spaces. The traditional vertical paternalistic discourse structure is replaced by a horizontal, rhizomatic one, and the rigid dichotomy between the author and the reader dissipates. These shifts in discursive rules bring about changes in discursive practices, impacting not only discourse itself but also the broader social fabric, including the realm of historical memory. Digitalization introduces novel forms of memory existence while retaining some traditional functions like identity formation. New media serve as platforms for identity formation, offering opportunities for constructing and continuously reassembling identities. This article views “cancel culture” as a symbol of this reassembly, acting both as a mode of expression and a source of identity. The critical analysis underscores both the negative and positive aspects of cancel culture, elucidating its paradoxical nature and frequency in contemporary reality.