Cancel Culture: Legal And Public Policy Challenges in The Digital Age

SOCIOLOGÍA Y TECNOCIENCIA, 15.1 (2025): 154-175
ISSN: 1989-8487
La cul u a de la cancelación: desa íos legales y polí icas
públicas en la e a digi al
Cancel Cul u e: Legal And Public Policy Challenges in
The Digi al Age
IHSAN HAMID
S a e Islamic Uni e si y o Ma a am-Indonesia
ihsanhamid@uinma a am.ac.id
h ps://o cid.o g/0009-0003-6795-0975
ISHAK HARIYANTO
S a e Islamic Uni e si y o Ma a am-Indonesia
[email p o ec ed]
h ps://o cid.o g/0009-0004-6909-3927
AGUS DEDI PUTRAWAN
S a e Islamic Uni e si y o Ma a am-Indonesia
[email p o ec ed]
h ps://o cid.o g/0000-0003-0016-0103
Recibido/Recei ed: 18/01/2024 . Acep ado/Accep ed: 09/12/2024.
Cómo ci a /How o ci e: Hamid, Ihsan, Ha iyan o, Ishak & Pu awan, Agus Dedi (2025).
Cancel Cul u e: Legal And Public Policy Challenges in The Digi al Age. Sociología y
Tecnociencia, 15 (1), 154-175. DOI: h ps://doi.o g/10.24197/s .1.2025.154-175.
A ículo de acceso abie o dis ibuido bajo una Licencia C ea i e Commons A ibución
4.0 In e nacional (CC-BY 4.0). / Open access a icle unde a C ea i e Commons
A ibu ion 4.0 In e na ional License (CC-BY 4.0).
Resumen: Es e a ículo habla sob e la cul u a de la cancelación y los desa íos legales y de polí icas
públicas en la e a digi al. Es a in es igación u iliza mé odos cuali a i os y es udios de documen os
legales median e la ecopilación y el análisis de documen os ele an es, como egulaciones legales,
polí icas públicas o decla aciones legales elacionadas con la cul u a de la cancelación. Analiza el
enómeno de la cul u a de la cancelación con es en oques: Libe ales Con inen ales, Economía
Aus iaca, En oques Nue o-Ins i ucionales. El sis ema ju ídico habla de aspec os de la es uc u a
ju ídica, la sus ancia ju ídica y la cul u a ju ídica. Los esul ados de es e es udio e ela on que la
cul u a de la cancelación desc ibe una p ác ica social en la que los indi iduos son cas igados
masi amen e po los in e nau as a a és de los medios i uales po palab as y acciones que se
conside an con o e idas. Es as son algunas igu as públicas que han expe imen ado la cul u a de
la cancelación, como Ahmad Dhani, Luna Maya, Gisel Anas asya, Rizki Billa , Tuan Gu u Mizan
Qudsiyah y Panji Gumilang. En caso de que la cul u a de la cancelación cause daño epu acional y
Cancel Cul u e: Legal And Public Policy Challenges in The Digi al Age
SOCIOLOGÍA Y TECNOCIENCIA, 15.1 (2025): 154-175
ISSN: 1989-8487
155
iole los de echos cons i ucionales po lo que puede demanda a los esponsables de la es au ación
de la epu ación y las pé didas su idas. Como desa ío polí ico, la cul u a de la cancelación equie e
una polí ica a i ma i a que analice la p esión de los in e nau as y su pode i al en la cons ucción
de la colabo ación en e los gobie nos, las pla a o mas de edes sociales, la sociedad ci il y las
pe sonas pa a p o ege las di e encias y la libe ad de exp esión.
Palab as cla e: Cul u a de la Cancelación, Ley, Polí icas Públicas, Desa íos, E a Digi al.
Abs ac : This pape alks abou cancel cul u e and legal and public policy challenges in he digi al age.
This esea ch uses quali a i e me hods and legal documen s udies by collec ing and analyzing ele an
documen s, such as legal egula ions, public policies, o legal s a emen s ela ed o cancel cul u e. To
analyze he cancel cul u e phenomenon using Con inen al Libe als, Aus ian Economics, and New-
Ins i u ional App oaches. The legal sys em discusses aspec s o legal s uc u e, subs ance, and cul u e.
The esul s o his s udy e ealed ha cancel cul u e desc ibes a social p ac ice in which indi iduals a e
punished masse by ne izens h ough i ual media o wo ds and ac ions ha a e conside ed con o e sial.
Some public igu es who ha e expe ienced cancel cul u e include Ahmad Dhani, Luna Maya, Gisel
Anas asya, Rizki Billa , Tuan Gu u Mizan Qudsiyah, and Panji Gumilang. In case, cancel cul u e causes
epu a ional damage and iola es cons i u ional igh s so ha i can sue hose esponsible o epu a ion
es o a ion and losses su e ed. As a policy challenge, cancel cul u e equi es a i ma i e policy by
looking a he p essu e o ne izens and i s i al powe in building collabo a ion be ween go e nmen s,
social media pla o ms, ci il socie y, and indi iduals o p o ec di e ences and ee speech.
Keywo ds: Cancel Cul u e, Law, Public Policy, Challenges, Digi al Age.
1. INTRODUCTION
Explo e new media s yles and human li e in he con empo a y i ual wo ld.
Online media has become a huge o ce in people's li es, changing he way people
in e ac wi h each o he , cul u es, li es yles, and social mo emen s. Acco ding o
Velasco (2020), he shi in human li e om he eal wo ld o he i ual wo ld is an
ine i able opic o philosophical discussion. Basically, he p ocess o displacemen
is abou he human desi e o eedom in he eal wo ld, despi e he ac ha i does
no p o ide eedom. The eal wo ld is so c uel and pain ul, ins ead o gi ing
eedom. Then, in an e o o gain eedom, humans seek li e in cybe space. In
cybe space, humans enjoy a beau i ul li e, eedom, and simulac a (Bungin, 2006).
E en hough hey can li e eely in cybe space, hey a e s ill cu sed because
o hei esponsibili ies. The media no only p o ides eedom o exp ession, bu
also p o ides ejec ion and blasphemy om ne izens. The cul u e o cancella ion,
ejec ion, and boyco occu s in humans bo h in cybe space and in eal li e
(Ma inez, 2021).
The dilemmas ha occu in he eal and i ual wo ld seem o make human
li e naked. This means ha while he eal wo ld is ull o su e ing and iolence, he
i ual wo ld is ull o chaos and objec ions. F om he eal wo ld o he i ual
wo ld, bo h a e naked ac s o li e. The cul u e o cancella ion and nudi y depic s
human li e in cybe space whe e a pe son o public igu e is ejec ed and boyco ed
i hey u e con o e sial wo ds, songs, ac ions, and ac ions in socie y. This ac ion
is conside ed o dis u b people's eelings and psychology. Vi ual media is a
pla o m ha allows people o in e ac wi h each o he h ough he in e ne and
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echnology, allowing hem o communica e and ans o m hemsel es eely. Flew
de ines new media as o ms ha combine he h ee C's: compu ing and in o ma ion
echnology, communica ion ne wo ks, digi al media, and in o ma ion con en
(Junaedi, 2011).
As ecen media esea ch shows, Baud illa d's p edic ions abou he
consume socie y in i ual media a e in line. The exchange a e and Ma x's heo y
o applied alue we e con e ed by Baud illa d in o sign alue. Acco ding o
Baud illa d, consump ion a ec s and de e mines people's li es oday. People will
inc ease consump ion and judge o he s abou hei consump ion, especially as
p o ided by he media. This concep is called hype ci iliza ion, and he popula ion
is called a consume socie y (Noe hadi, 2013).
Ano he iew ha is qui e ele an in ela ion o he Cencel Cul u e
phenomenon is he ounda ion p oposed by Ju gen Habe mas. In he con ex o
"cancel cul u e", he con inen al libe al app oach c i icizes he p ac ice o es ic ing
exp ession o labeling ha esul s in social ejec ion o indi iduals o g oups
exp essing con o e sial opinions. They emphasized he need o main ain space o
open and c i ical dialogue in a democ a ic socie y (Ab aham, & Calhoun 1994).
(Rosa, 2022)
In he con ex o "cancel cul u e", he new-ins i u ional app oach highligh s
how ins i u ions such as mass media, educa ion, and o he social ins i u ions play a
ole in cons uc ing social and cul u al no ms. They emphasized he impo ance o
unde s anding how hese ins i u ions can in luence collec i e esponses o
indi iduals o g oups deemed o be iola ing hose no ms. (Win e & Zhang, 2018)
This esea ch ela ed o cancel cul u e was w i en by Joseph Ching Velasco
om De La Salle Uni e si y in 2020 wi h he i le "You A e Cancelled: Vi ual
Collec i e Consciousness and The Eme gence o Cancel Cul u e as Ideological
Pu ging". This a icle explains ha i ual media has become a new o ce in human
li e, using i o sp ead ideology, coe ce, and encou age social mo emen s. Whe e a
pe son can lose his a ac i eness and lose his a ac i eness when appea ing in
public, e en a public igu e can be a nished so ha he eels emba assed o appea
again because his wo ds and s a emen s a e con a y o public cus oms. The
esea ch conduc ed by Joseph Ching Velasco in his a icle was conduc ed in he
Philippines and looked a communi y leade s who a e he subjec o cancel cul u e
(Velasco, 2020).
Cancel cul u e became a new deba e in 2017, li le esea ch has been done
on i . Nex , he esea che explained he ollowing simila i ies and di e ences. The
phenomenon o cancel cul u e was discussed in he p e ious wo a icles. As he
Velasco esea ch shows, which conduc ed esea ch in he Philippines and ound
ha i ual media is a ool ha mus be collec i ely ecognized as a way o ge id
o a ious ideologies, which in u n leads o he elimina ion o public igu es.
In he same way, Spacey's esea ch on media wee e s, in which he
in es iga ed opics ejec ed and discussed by 1700 people on wee e s, esul ed in
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mo e nega i e commen columns and i ual bullying. Ku niawan sees cancel
cul u e as a new dis up ion o he wo ld o educa ion and academic eedom. This
new pa asi ic cul u e has sp ead and has he po en ial o unde mine he meaning o
academic eedom and democ acy. Democ acies ha gi e he public he eedom
o oice hei opinions and c i icize aspec s o policy ha e now been a nished by
cancel cul u e. E en educa ion, which suppo s academic eedom, mus expe ience
cul u al e ec s. Ma inez said ha g owing online publica ions could also be an
a ena o cancella ion. Au ho s should also be ca e ul i hei manusc ip s do no
mee public expec a ions o cause con o e sy, as doing so can s op he cul u e.
The implica ions o cancel cul u e ce ainly ha e a g ea in luence on he
public space, such as eedom o speech and opinion. When an indi idual o g oup
is h ea ened wi h a cancella ion o boyco because o an opinion o ac ion ha is
conside ed con o e sial, he e is a isk ha people a e eluc an o oice hei iews
ha may be con a y o he majo i y o mains eam. On he one hand, he in luence
o communi y powe has a g ea impac on de e mining he a e o indi iduals and
g oups. In some cases, i can exe cise signi ican con ol o e socie y's powe o
punish indi iduals wi hou going h ough o mal legal p ocess, supe sede he ole
o exis ing legal ins i u ions and p ocedu es, and in e e e wi h he p inciples o
jus ice and he p o ec ion o indi idual igh s.
The esea ch has simila i ies in discussing cancel cul u e, bu he di e ence
is ha he esea ch conduc ed by he esea che ies o include he challenges o
legal cancel cul u e and public policy in he digi al e a o in popula media in
Indonesia, because his space has no been ouched by p e ious esea che s. The
p oblem o cancel cul u e legal challenges and public policies in he digi al e a is
an in e es ing phenomenon in Indonesia because cancel cul u e is a phenomenon
whe e a pe son o a g oup seeks o des oy he epu a ion o a ce ain indi idual o
en i y by o ganizing a boyco , e bal a ack, o o he ac ion in esponse o iews,
s a emen s, o ac ions ha a e conside ed inconsis en wi h legal no ms. social
no ms, o ce ain alues.
Law and public policy see cancel cul u e as a killing o cha ac e and
des uc ion o epu a ion wi hou due p ocess. In his con ex , legal ques ions
a ise ega ding how indi iduals who a e ic ims o a cul u e o cancella ion
can p o ec hemsel es and ile lawsui s o es o a ion o epu a ion and
damages. Legal liabili y and consequences in some cases in ol e he
widesp ead dissemina ion o in o ma ion ha may no be accu a e o e i ied.
Legal ques ions a ise ega ding wha is he legal basis and legal iew i a
pe son expe iences cancel cul u e and i s legal consequences o indi iduals
o g oups in ol ed in he dissemina ion o ha m ul in o ma ion. While cul u e
can be used as a ool o comba disc imina ion and in ole ance, he e a e also
conce ns ha i can be used o censo o un ai ly punish people wi h di e en
iews. Ques ions a ise abou limi a ions, ai ness, and he use o cancel cul u e
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in esponse o iews o ac ions ha a e conside ed inapp op ia e. F om his
p oblem, a ques ion a ises. Wha a e he implica ions o indi iduals who a e
ic ims o cancel cul u e o be able o p o ec hemsel es and ile lawsui s o
he es o a ion o hei epu a ions and losses su e ed. Wha is he legal basis
and public policy i a pe son expe iences cancel cul u e and i s legal
consequences o indi iduals o g oups.
2. LITERATURE REVIEW
Resea ch on cancel cul u e was conduc ed by Saman ha Haskell a Boise
S a e Uni e si y G adua e College wi h he i le "Cancel Cul u e: A Quali a i e
Analysis o Social Media P ac ice o Canceling". Saman ha Haskell poin s ou in
his hesis ha he wo d "cancel cul u e" was coined by he media o make people
ashamed o canceling. The esea ch was conduc ed h ough wee e media, whe e
he subjec was Ke in Spacey which was canceled and discussed by 1700 people
on he wee e . In he end, Ke in Spacey again el emba assed o appea in he
public domain because he was he subjec o Canceled by he media (Saman ha
Haskell, 2021).
The esea ch conduc ed by Ande son Lopez is en i led "Tug o wa : Social
Media, Cancel Cul u e, and Di e si y o Gi ls and he 100". Analyzing he
iewe ship and c i ical ecep ion o a pa icula TV show can e eal mo i a ion o
he nex c ea i e decision by he con en c ea o . On shows like Roseanne, audience
ecep ion has in luenced decisions ega ding c ea i e con ol. Audience demand is
helping o in luence he ma ke and has opened up di e si y ini ia i es in
specula i e media. The heo e ical basis o his a icle was o med om he heo y
o ecep ion and he main esea ch o Twi e pos s. To u he explo e he
phenomenon o audience swaying o e a is ic owne ship, wo ele ision shows,
Gi ls and The 100, will be examined in con ex wi h audiences and c i ical
accep ance, cancel cul u e, and di e si y ini ia i es ac oss media. (Ande son-
Lopez, 2021).
Bou ie 's "Racis Call-Ou s and Cancel Cul u e on Twi e : The Limi a ions
o The Pla o m's Abili y o De ine Issues o Social Jus ice" Twi e campaigns
a acking hose who make acis o xenophobic s a emen s a e in aluable, aising
he p o ile o public opinion ha will no ole a e acism in any o m. They also
show how ou key ins i u ions a e ailing o add ess impo an issues o social
jus ice. Bu he e a e conce ns ha social media, such as Twi e , ends o be
ex eme, mo al ou age, lack o nuance and dis espec , which shapes how he issue
becomes ep esen ed. In his pape , using C i ical Discou se Analysis, we look a
h ee Twi e hash ags ha call o acis beha io . We asked how acism and an i-
acism a e ep esen ed on his hash ag? We show how his misin e p e s
undamen al aspec s o acism in socie y, dis ac ing om wha , ace heo is s
would a gue, is he mos impo an hing hese inciden s ell us abou acism a his

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poin . These indings ha e consequences o all o Twi e 's social jus ice
campaigns. (Bou ie , 2020).
Ramsey "The Pe cei ed Impac o a Cul u e o Cancella ion and Men al
Heal h Challenges Rela ed o Consequence: A Discou se o Social Wo ke s in
Nige ia". The indings show ha social media si es ha e con ibu ed signi ican ly
o cancel cul u e and he mos indica ed social media si es iden i ied in he s udy a e
Facebook, Ins ag am, Twi e , and mos ecen ly TikTok. Pa icipan s also no ed
ha cancel cul u e has a posi i e impac bu when aken o he ex eme i nega i ely
impac s he cancel and mos o hei amilies leading o men al heal h p oblems
such as isola ion, loneliness, dep ession, anxie y, low sel -es eem, and men al heal h
issues. The s udy ecommends ha social wo ke s who a e pa o social se ice
p o ide s should encou age ze o ole ance o cancel cul u e. In conclusion,
puni i e and p ohibi ion measu es should also be issued o anyone who p omo es
o ins iga es hese ac ions because he nega i e e ec s a e mo e se e e han he
posi i e ones. Fu u e esea ch can use quan i a i e esea ch designs o ha e a
gene al iew o he ac o s ha p omo e cancella ion cul u e and he bes me hods
in con olling cancella ion, his will c ea e space o be e social se ices and
ad ances in social se ices esea ch (Ramsey-So oghaye, 2023a)
Demsa "Calling o Aboli ion: Unde s anding How Ma ke s A e Shaped o
Realign wi h P e ailing Social Values" Aboli ion, o en pejo a i ely e e ed o as
"cancel cul u e," is becoming inc easingly pe asi e in public discou se, poli ical
deba e, and he ma ke ing sphe e. Cancella ions pose a clea h ea o es ablished
ma ke pa icipan s and ha e he po en ial o eo ganize ins i u ional s uc u es.
Howe e , he empi ical wo k in es iga ing his phenomenon is limi ed. The s udy
adop s he lens o ins i u ional heo y o in es iga e how calls o b and cancella ion
a e e ealed. As such, i p o ides insigh in o how ma ke s a e shaped o ealign
wi h he ins i u ional logic p e ailing a ound poli ical ideologies, ace, gende ,
sexuali y, ha assmen , and co po a e g eed. Fu he , i ou lines he igge s ha d i e
ins i u ional en ep eneu s o y o delegi imize he exis ence o exis ing b ands. I
also e eals how a ious ac o s (consume s, b ands, media, a ilia es, in luence s,
ad e sa ies) engage in ins i u ional wo k o dis up , c ea e, o de end ins i u ional
logic, as well as hei own legi imacy. The mac o implica ions o social alues,
poli ical ac ions, ma ke s, ma ke ing p ac ices, and b ands a e discussed (Demsa ,
2023).
Sailo sky "Masculini y, cancel cul u e and awakened capi alism: Explo ing
Twi e 's esponse o B endan Leipsi's leaked con e sa ion". On May 6, 2020,
pho os we e leaked om a con e sa ion in which B endan Leipsic o he
Washing on Capi als Na ional Hockey League, his b o he Je emy o he Uni e si y
o Mani oba Bisons and se e al o he s made ulga and misogynis ic commen s
abou women and abou he gi l iends and wi es o o he hockey playe s. A e he
elease o he con e sa ion and he dismissal o he wo Leipsic b o he s om hei
espec i e eams, many ook o Twi e o explain hei hough s on he si ua ion.
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The s udy analyzed nea ly 1000 Twi e eplies o he Leipsic si ua ion and explo ed
how hese esponses we e shaped by ques ions abou masculini y, accoun abili y,
legali y, p i acy, and hockey cul u e. The con as ing esponse o he scandal and
he ins i u ional esponse o i is symbolic o a la ge con empo a y ques ion
ega ding he na a i e o 'cancel cul u e', 'awakened capi alism', accep able
masculini y and he in e ac ion be ween hem (Sailo sky, 2022)
Kanai "Cancella ion o Calci ica ion in Cul u ed Os eoblas s by CLEC-2"
This s udy aims o in es iga e he e ec o CLEC-2 on calci ica ion in cul u ed
mouse os eoblas s. In RT-PCR and ELISA analysis o cells, i was con i med ha
os eoblas s exp essed podoplanin, os eopon in, os eocalcin and scle os in in cul u e,
and ha he exp ession o os eopon in and os eocalcin inc eased in he calci ica ion
medium. The exp ession o podoplanin, os eopon in, os eocalcin and scle os in was
unchanged in os eoblas s wi h CLEC-2, sugges ing ha CLEC-2 did no a ec he
exp ession o hese bone p o eins in os eoblas s. Howe e , he numbe o calci ied
nodules and alkaline phospha ase ac i i y we e signi ican ly supp essed in he
os eoblas s o cul u e by CLEC-2. Quan i a i e analysis showed ha he numbe o
calci ied nodules and alkaline phospha ase ac i i y dec eased wi h CLEC-2 while
he e was no e ec in cell iabili y wi h CLEC-2. Fu he mo e, RUNX2 exp ession
was obse ed in he cy oplasm and os eoblas nucleus o cul u ed mice while
exp ession dec eased wi h CLEC-2. In Ma igel-based h ee-dimensional cul u es,
signi ican os eoblas cell elonga ion p ocesses we e obse ed, and elonga ion was
se e ely supp essed wi h CLEC-2. Conside ing his, CLEC-2 may ha e he abili y
o cancel os eoblas calci ica ion by blocking os eoblas ma u a ion h ough
in e ac ion wi h CLEC-2 ecep o podoplanin wi hou in ol emen in bone- ela ed
p o ein p oduc ion (Kanai, 2021).
Lewis's "Pla o m d ama: Undo Cul u e, Celeb i ies, and he Figh o
Accoun abili y on YouTube" The pas ew yea s ha e seen deba e abou so-called
"cancel cul u e" and mo e b oadly abou online accoun abili y p ac ices. He e we
e isi his opic h ough a s udy o YouTube "d ama", a hyb id gen e whe e con en
c ea o s p o ide commen s abou scandals, scams, and euds be ween YouTube
celeb i ies. Based on cul u al s udies schola ships, and based on quali a i e
in e iews and con en analysis, we a gue ha YouTube d amas embody he
a ious cul u al and mo al nego ia ions ha ake place on social media pla o ms.
We concep ualize he p ac ice o accoun abili y on YouTube as an ongoing
"pla o m d ama," whe e c ea o s engage in an ongoing and highly isible powe
s uggle wi h celeb i ies, iewe s, old media, o he c ea o s, and YouTube i sel . In
he con ex o his "pla o m d ama", s uc u al issues and in e pe sonal con lic s
become blu ed, as a e he p ac ices o accoun abili y and mone ized glasses. We
analyze "cancella ion" on YouTube as a i ualis ic p ac ice in which s uc u al
ensions a e nego ia ed and conduc ed publicly, e en when accoun abili y i sel
emains la gely elusi e (Lewis, 2022a).
Peña "Cancel Cul u e on Social Media: Dange ous and Unjus Insul s
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Acco ding o he P inciples o C iminal Law" Cancel cul u e is a social
phenomenon ha de elops on he social ne wo ks o he in e ne ha seeks o
denounce people who ha e assumed socially a o ed a i udes o beha io s, e en
when such beha io does no cons i u e a c ime. This a icle seeks o demons a e
h ough he p inciples o c iminal law ha , al hough i is a mo emen ha ca ies
posi i e consequences, such as isualizing and p omo ing he igh s o mino i ies,
i is also an unins i u ionalized way o o ganizing jus ice disp opo iona ely, since,
among o he hings, iola ing he minimum igh s o hose who a e e oked. (Peña,
2021).
The la es s udy w i en by Alix Ma inez en i led, "Unco e ing he Di on
Cancel Cul u e: An In-Dep h Analysis o he Rela ionship be ween Publishing and
Con o e sy". In his a icle, Alix Ma inez explains he phenomenon o cancel
cul u e, which is a new phenomenon on social media and has g own apidly because
many people a e connec ed o social media. Social media consump ion inc eased
by a ound 72% when he COVID-19 pandemic began o sp ead in a ious
coun ies. Howe e , acco ding o Alix Ma inez, g owing online publica ions can
also be an a ena o cancella ion o au ho s i hei wo k does no mee public
expec a ions and can e en cause p olonged con o e sy (Ma inez, 2021).
3. MATERIAL AND METHOD
In his s udy, he esea che uses a quali a i e me hod wi h a li e a u e
s udy and case s udy app oach. This means looking o li e a u e ha is ele an
o cul u e, law, and socie y. The sou ces o li e a u e used include a icles,
books, case s udies, and heo e ical app oaches ela ed o esea ch issues
(Adiyan a, 2019). Fu he mo e, esea che s also s udy legal documen s by
collec ing and analyzing ele an legal documen s, such as legal egula ions,
public policies, o legal s a emen s ela ed o cancel cul u e (Benu & Azha ,
2020).
Analyze how he law can a ec he p ac ice o cancel cul u e and he
ex en o which cancel cul u e is in acco dance wi h he applicable legal
amewo k. No only ha , bu in e iews and su eys a e also used by
esea che s as a way o ge in o ma ion om legal and social expe s, social
ac i is s, and indi iduals in ol ed in cancel cul u e. These in e iews and
su eys we e used o dig up in o ma ion abou hei iews on cancel cul u e,
including hei opinions on legal and social ela ionships, he phenomenon o
cancel cul u e om a legal and social pe spec i e, and he esul ing impac . The
su ey is conduc ed online o h ough ace- o- ace in e iews. The case s udy
app oach is used o selec some well-known cases ela ed o cancel cul u e and
analyze hem om a legal and social pe spec i e. These case s udies can include
inciden s on social media, in he en e ainmen indus y, o in public
o ganiza ions. An analysis o how cancel cul u e eope a es in hese cases and
Ihsan Hamid, e al.,
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how legal and social ac o s play a ole (A mia, 2022).
The analysis used in discussing he cancel cul u e o he Aus alian
Economy, he Ana co-Capi alis App oach and he New-Ins i u ional App oach,
(Sánchez Bayón, 2023) namely:
a) Aus ian Economy: Aus ian economic heo y, especially hose
de eloped by Ludwig on Mises and F ied ich Hayek, p o ides a c i ical iew
o socialism and he impo ance o he ee ma ke in alloca ing esou ces
e icien ly. Mises highligh s ha wi hou a unc ioning ee ma ke and p ices
as egula o s, socialis economies end o ail in achie ing e icien alloca ion.
Hayek added ha ins i u ions ha suppo spon aneous p ocesses in he
e olu ion o cul u e and social no ms, such as hose championed in Hayekian's
heo y o "spon aneous o de ", a e impo an o p e en excessi e
in e en ionism ha can lead o he p ac ice o "cancel cul u e". Fo example,
he Aus ian economy's emphasis on indi idual eedom and eedom o speech
can be linked o c i icism o a emp s o limi di e en exp essions in he name
o he poli ics o u h. (Bowles, S., Ki man, A., & Se hi, R. 2017).
b) Ana cho-Capi alis App oach: This app oach, in luenced by he
hough o Benjamin Tucke , Emma Goldman, and Mu ay Ro hba d, highligh s
he impo ance o indi idual eedom om he monopoly domina ion o powe ,
including domina ion by ce ain go e nmen s o g oups in egula ing beha io
and hough . Ana cho-capi alis s o en c i icize he p ac ice o "cancel cul u e"
because hey see i as an un ounded o m o social con ol and de imen al o
he eedom o indi iduals o exp ess hei iews eely. They main ain ha he
eedom o indi iduals o pa icipa e in a ee ma ke place o ideas is key o
p e en ing un ai social exclusion and excess. (Ellickson, R. C. 2017)
c) New-Ins i u ional App oach: This app oach, which d aws on Ronald
Coase's wo k on ansac ion cos heo y, emphasizes how ins i u ional s uc u es
a ec economic beha io and social decisions. In he con ex o "cancel
cul u e", his app oach aises ques ions abou how egula ions and public
policies a ec social dynamics, including he endency o es ic o punish
indi iduals who a e pe cei ed as iola ing social no ms ha a e conside ed
impo an in he s uc u e o socie y. Jones, S. (1997). (Saldanha, N., Mulye, R.,
& Rahman, K. 2022)
The in eg a ion o hese h ee app oaches p o ides a b oad pe spec i e in
unde s anding he phenomenon o "cancel cul u e". They no only o e in-dep h
heo ies abou he oo causes and consequences o his p ac ice, bu also o e
guidance o unde s anding how indi idual alues o eedom, ee ma ke
p ocesses, and ins i u ional s uc u es can in luence collec i e esponses o dissen
in mode n socie y. Thus, his esea ch no only sol es he puzzle o "cancel cul u e"
heo e ically, bu also p o ides insigh in o how his p ac ice a ec s he b oade
social dynamics a ound he wo ld
Cancel Cul u e: Legal And Public Policy Challenges in The Digi al Age
SOCIOLOGÍA Y TECNOCIENCIA, 15.1 (2025): 154-175
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isola ion and eelings o guil can also a ec an indi idual's men al well-being.
Renewal and eco e y: Some indi iduals who expe ience cancella ion cul u e
seek o es o e hei epu a ion in a a ie y o ways, including by apologizing,
changing, o engaging in posi i e e o s. The eco e y p ocess may a y
depending on he le el o suppo hey ecei e (Ande son-Lopez, 2021).
As a g oup, cancel cul u e has he consequence o pola iza ion in socie y.
Cancel cul u e can uel socie al pola iza ion, whe e people a e di ided be ween
hose who suppo cancella ion and hose who oppose i . This can esul in social
ensions and con lic s be ween g oups wi h di e en iews. The occu ence o
changes in social no ms and cases o cancel cul u e ha s ick ou o he su ace
can a ec changes in social no ms. Some ac ions o s a emen s ha we e once
aken o g an ed can be con o e sial, and socie y may be mo e cau ious when
speaking o ac ing (Gomez-Mejia, 2020).
I is impo an o emembe ha cancel cul u e is a e y complex
phenomenon, and i s impac can a y depending on he con ex . While i can
p o ide a means o punish ha m ul o disc imina o y ac s, i can also aise
ques ions abou ee speech and social esponsibili y. The deba e abou cancel
cul u e e lec s he ension be ween alues such as ee speech, social
esponsibili y, and p o ec ing indi idual epu a ions. Fu he de elopmen s in
law and social no ms will depend on he e olu ion o people's iews and
changes in applicable law.
4.5. Cancel Cul u e as a New Challenge o Public Policy in he Digi al Age
Cancel cul u e is one o he new challenges in public policy in he digi al
age. This phenomenon in ol es he public cancella ion o indi iduals o g oups
h ough social media o online pla o ms o ac ions o s a emen s ha a e
conside ed con o e sial o do no con o m o dominan no ms. Cancel cul u e
i s eme ged and lou ished in he social media en i onmen , whe e indi iduals
o g oups can quickly become he a ge o cancella ion campaigns igge ed by
a single con o e sial ac ion o s a emen . Al hough ini ially limi ed o he
digi al space, he impac o cancel cul u e soon ex ended o he eal wo ld.
Indi iduals who all ic im o cancella ion can su e se ious epu a ional
damage, lose hei jobs, and e en ace h ea s o hei sa e y (Sain -Louis, 2021).
In addi ion, la ge companies and b ands a e o en p essu ed by consume s
o ac i is s o cu ies wi h indi iduals unde i e, c ea ing complex e hical and
business dilemmas. The e o e, cancel cul u e has become an issue ha a ec s
public policy, o cing go e nmen s, companies, and socie y o e lec on how o
deal wi h his phenomenon. He e a e some ways cancella ion cul u e is
becoming a new challenge in public policy in he digi al age:
F ee speech s. social esponsibili y: a key challenge is inding a balance
be ween ee speech and social esponsibili y in a digi al en i onmen . The e is
deba e abou whe he indi iduals ha e he igh o oice hei opinions, e en i

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hey a e con o e sial, wi hou ea o cancella ion, o whe he hese measu es
should elici an a i ma i e social esponse.
Social media egula ion: social media plays an impo an ole in
acili a ing cancel cul u e. Go e nmen s and egula o y bodies in some
coun ies a e conside ing egula ing social media pla o ms o con ol he sp ead
o ha m ul con en . This in ol es ques ioning he ex en o which hese
egula ions should be applied wi hou unde mining eedom o speech.
T anspa ency and accoun abili y: cancel cul u e o en occu s wi hou a
anspa en o sys ema ic p ocess. The challenge is ensu ing ha he indi idual
o g oup unde i e has he oppo uni y o sel -de ense and a ai accoun abili y
p ocess. I also includes examining he ole o social media in acili a ing cancel
cul u e and whe he hey should be held accoun able o such ac ions.
In luence on company policy: companies and b ands a e o en pa o he
cancel cul u e when consume s demand hey cu ies wi h he indi idual o
g oup unde i e. This c ea es p essu e on companies o ake a s and, which can
be an e hical and epu a ional challenge o hem.
Socie al pola iza ion: cancella ion cul u e can deepen pola iza ion in
socie y by sepa a ing people in o g oups ha suppo and oppose he ac o
cancella ion. The challenge is o c ea e a p oduc i e dialogue and p omo e
unde s anding among di e en iews.
Repu a ion p o ec ion and men al well-being: a key challenge is how o
p o ec he epu a ion o indi iduals a ge ed by cancel cul u e and also p o ec
hei men al well-being. The p ocess o cancel cul u e can be e y emo ionally
and psychologically damaging.
Digi al awa eness educa ion: encou aging digi al awa eness educa ion
and media li e acy is essen ial o add essing he challenge o cancel cul u e.
Socie y needs o unde s and how o c i ically p ocess in o ma ion and esol e
con lic p oduc i ely in a digi al en i onmen (Muelle , 2021).
Cancel cul u e is a g owing phenomenon and he subjec o complex deba es
in public policy. The challenge is o ind balanced ways o deal wi h ad e se ac s
while p o ec ing ee speech and indi idual igh s. These de elopmen s will equi e
collabo a ion be ween go e nmen s, social media pla o ms, ci il socie y, and
indi iduals o each e ec i e solu ions. As a challenge o public policy, cancel
cul u e is some imes conside ed a my h, bu his happens in eal li e, bu i will
ce ainly ha e a bad impac on human li e in he digi al age.
4. DISCASSION
The con ibu ions o his esea ch a e as ollows: con ibu ion o he
unde s anding o legal and public policy challenges, ac o s in luencing he
eme gence o cancel cul u e, legal implica ions, and hei impac on socie y,
and all o hese a e analyzed om a legal and social pe spec i e. Legal and
Cancel Cul u e: Legal And Public Policy Challenges in The Digi al Age
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policy de elopmen : his esea ch can p o ide insigh o policymaking, law
en o cemen , and decision-making in o mula ing ele an policies and
egula ions ela ed o cancel cul u e.
Wi h a comp ehensi e unde s anding o he implica ions o cancel
cul u e on public spaces, go e nmen s and o ganiza ions can de elop ules o
manage he nega i e impac s o cancel cul u e and p omo e balanced eedom
o opinion. P o ec ion o igh s and indi iduals: Th ough legal and social
analysis, his esea ch can help iden i y how cul u e can a ec indi idual
igh s, including eedom o speech, p i acy igh s, and epu a ion. Wi h a
deepe unde s anding o he in e ac ion be ween cul u e and indi idual igh s,
app op ia e p o ec i e measu es can be aken o p e en abuse and p o ec he
inhe en igh s o indi iduals.
Speaking needs o be implemen ed and de ended o p o ec indi idual
igh s and di e si y o opinion. T anspa ency and accoun abili y, in he
con ex o boyco cul u e, a e impo an o p omo e anspa ency and
accoun abili y in boyco p ocesses. The p ocess mus be conduc ed clea ly,
ai ly, and based on s ong legal e idence, as i conside s he po en ial and
long- e m impac o cancella ion on indi iduals. Educa ion and public
awa eness need o be gi en a be e unde s anding o cancel cul u e, including
i s social and legal implica ions. Educa ion and public awa eness o he
impo ance o eedom o exp ession, indi idual igh s, and di e si y o
opinion can help os e mo e cons uc i e dialogue and minimize abuse o
cul u e.
5. CONCLUSION
Cancel cul u e is a new challenge in public policy in he digi al
age ha equi es se ious conside a ion o he ex en o which we p o ec
ee speech, how o egula e social media, and how o p o ec
indi iduals om epu a ional damage and psychological dis ess caused
by cancella ion campaigns. Add essing he impac and implica ions o
cancel cul u e is a complex ask, bu i is c i ical o c ea ing a balanced
and inclusi e en i onmen in an inc easingly connec ed digi al wo ld.
Cancel cul u e and legal and public policy challenges in he digi al age
ha e an impac on eedom o speech and opinion.
He e a e some public igu es who ha e expe ienced cancel
cul u e such as Ahmad Dhani, Luna Maya, Gisel Anas asya, Rizki
Billa , Tuan Gu u Mizan Qudsiyah, and Panji Gumilang. Cancel cul u e
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has become an issue ha a ec s public policy, o cing go e nmen s,
companies, and socie y o e lec on how o deal wi h his phenomenon.
When indi iduals o g oups a e h ea ened wi h cancella ion o boyco
due o con o e sial opinions o ac ions, he e is a isk ha people a e
eluc an o oice hei iews ha may con lic wi h he majo i y o
mains eam. On he one hand, oo, he in luence o socie al o ces has a
majo impac on de e mining he a e o indi iduals and g oups. In some
cases, his can exe signi ican con ol o e socie y's powe o punish
indi iduals wi hou going h ough o mal legal p oceedings, and
some imes i can eplace he ole o exis ing legal ins i u ions and
p ocedu es and in e e e wi h he p inciples o jus ice and he p o ec ion
o indi idual igh s. On he o he hand, he implica ions o cancel
cul u e can haun eedom o speech, weak legal p o ec ion o
indi idual igh s, and a lack o p ocedu al ai ness.
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