Are you so worried about saying or doing the "wrong" thing? This component of social anxiety has been significantly worsened in recent months due to the "cancel culture."
Life after the pandemic has forced us to re-evaluate even the most mundane tasks. Simple moments we typically took for granted now feel like they come with life-or-death consequences. To visit family or stay away? Take a trip to the store or pay the delivery fee? Work out at the gym or stick with laps around the block?
And running parallel to this stressful reality is something that’s inspired another form of self-examination: cancel culture.
This web-based landmine has heightened concerns about our online lives and the fear of saying or doing the “wrong” thing. More specifically, whether a social media misstep might ruin your reputation in the time it takes to tweet, dislike, or unsubscribe.
What is Cancel Culture?
Cancel culture became a popular practice in recent years but has accelerated as the pandemic has made online living a near necessity. Simply speaking, it involves the withdrawing of support for anyone — a public figure, a corporation or brand, or even your family members — if they have done something perceived to be offensive.
Those who engage in cancel culture are often called “woke” or politically correct…and this group has a long, evolving list of what they deem objectionable.
This quick act of ex-communication can take place on a micro-level, e.g. between friends, co-workers, or family members. However, more commonly, cancel culture is a performative act that takes place in a public setting like social media.
Cancel Culture’s Impact on Social Anxiety & Indecision
While, of course, it’s normal to strive for a more compassionate society. Each person has the right to set boundaries about what they view as offensive. Cancel culture, however, goes much further than attempts to educate about topics of respect and tolerance. Ironically, in its current form, it leaves no real room FOR tolerance or forgiveness of anything contrary to their position!
Cancel does not allow you or others to learn and grow from past mistakes or insensitivities. Conversely, the need to please the invisible mass of woke others actually keeps you in fear of:
- Being judged
- Facing rejection
- Getting ostracized
- Making personally beneficial decisions
You may lose your sense of authenticity or feel guilt and shame over your internal beliefs and feelings.
One of the most common outcomes of cancel culture is the fostering of “analysis paralysis.” You are afraid of being seen as "not woke", thus, you will second-guess yourself. The natural progression then is self-censorship. You become socially anxious and keep your thoughts to yourself. Your public utterances are more likely to be the accepted and proscribed slogans or mantras that make others more comfortable.
Breaking Free of the Hive Mind
Again, some aspects of cancel culture can definitely help advance our society to a more aware and compassionate place. The danger occurs when it inevitably devolves into groupthink. Sure, it’s hard to risk public judgment but it is essential for each of us to reject the temptation of a hive mind. Here are some suggestions for doing so:
Don’t Trust Your News Feed
The slogans, the memes, the clickbait — they are all so seductive. This is by design. Social media wants to keep you looking and scrolling. As a result, you are being fed information to make you feel your views are right, and the only right way to think/be/act.
Do a Little Research Before Talking or Posting
There a lot of confident and charismatic people posting online. Resist their allure and do your own work to discover how accurate these posts are. Just because someone got canceled does not mean their bullies are correct.
Ask Yourself: What If I’m Wrong?
Stay open to challenging your own perceptions and beliefs. Accept that your opinions — like everyone’s opinions — are being shaped by history, algorithms, and a certain comfort level.
Getting Some Help in this Time of Moral Fatigue
Everything we do now requires ten times as much thought as it did in 2019. This can be exhausting and demoralizing. To gain some perspective, it can help immensely to talk with a counselor.
Therapy can help you focus in on your moral compass. As a result, you will be less susceptible to the cancel culture echo chamber. Let’s work on this together. Please read more about anxiety and let’s work on the ideas and goals that mean most to you.
Contact Me
I know how stressful and demanding it can be to make changes in your life, but you don’t have to figure it out on your own. Some of the benefits of individual therapy include:
- Having a safe, confidential space to work through life’s struggles
- Speaking openly with a highly-trained professional
- Learning to be curious about oneself and become more mindful about your choices
- Identifying relationship patterns that are helpful, or existing patterns that are interfering with your growth and wellbeing.
- I offer online therapy (video conference style of therapy), which provides an increased level of comfort as you could meet with me from the privacy and comfort of your own home or other location.
You can request a specific appointment time that fits your schedule. Once confirmed, you can complete all New Patient Intake paperwork online as well.
*** The tips offered in this article are for general information and should not be considered medical or psychological advice. For more personalized recommendations appropriate to your individual situation, please contact us or obtain professional guidance.
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