While reactions to Cosby could be said to represent one end of cancel culture's spectrum, in other instances, the effects are relatively short-lived. The outrage on social media rang loud and clear. “It has a completely positive impact.”Ĭosby remains canceled - if the tweet he sent on Father's Day is any indication. “You could argue that led to Bill Cosby’s conviction and prison sentence,” Egan said. After a second trial, Cosby was convicted of sexual assault in April 2018. He lost deals and projects with media companies. More women came forward with allegations against him, including model Janice Dickinson.

The clip spread and reignited scrutiny against Cosby. He was known for being litigious and had control over his public image by threatening the media, she said.īut after a video of comedian Hannibal Buress calling Cosby a “rapist” went viral on Twitter in 2014, social media proved to be a platform that even ”America’s dad” couldn’t control. In 2005, Cosby’s case was largely covered at the pacing and framing that Cosby wanted, Egan said. Nicole Weisensee Egan, an investigative reporter who covered Cosby’s trials and wrote the book “‘Chasing Cosby’: The Downfall of America’s Dad,” said that social media became “the great equalizer” in his case. Michael Jackson and Bill Cosby are examples of this - Jackson faced renewed scrutiny for alleged sexual abuse after HBO's documentary 'Leaving Neverland' and Cosby's reputation was deeply tarnished after people started taking rape allegations against him seriously. Gary said that it’s an effective way of promoting awareness about larger societal issues, like rape.

“It’s a way to draw attention to gaffes or stupidity or outright bigotry.” “It’s the power to withhold attention in an attention economy,” he said. But some media experts warn that it also has the ability to create an echo chamber of outrage while oversimplifying complex issues for the sake of going viral or to fit the character count of a tweet.īrett Gary, an associate professor of media, culture and communication at New York University, described the positive side of cancel culture as a persistent force that demands for marginalized voices to be heard - people who historically have not had the authority to critique culture as it happens. For some, cancel culture serves as a megaphone for otherwise marginalized voices. But a year into its mainstream appearance, cancel culture still walks the line between a constructive reckoning and a symptom of fleeting-but-viral outrage over nearly anything perceived as a social infraction.

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