Celebrities can be cancelled. Fandoms are forever – The Conversation AU

Cancel culture withdrawing support for public figures when they do or say something offensive has become so widespread it was Macquarie Dictionarys 2019 word of the year.
A practice where people come together to remove the offenders cultural capital and cancel them, the phenomenon has intensified since the outbreak of COVID-19. With so many people staying at home there has been a rise in social media use, and with more time on social media there is more time for cancellations.
JK Rowling was cancelled for anti-trans remarks. Lana Del Rey, criticised as using anti-feminist lyrics, was cancelled after her response to these criticisms on Instagram. Popular YouTuber Jenna Marbles announced she was leaving the platform following criticism of early videos featuring offensive lyrics, gender stereotypes and blackface.
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Everyone is cancelled
Fandom is deeply rooted in identity and values, and fans are likely to cancel people who violate norms of justice and moral responsibility. As fandoms represent community and comfort, fans are quick to denounce threats to these spaces.
Following the controversy of Rowlings recent tweet, many fans are working to distance themselves from Harry Potter and the author who failed us.
Actors from the Harry Potter movies and spinoffs, including Daniel Radcliffe, Eddie Redmayne, Noma Dumezweni, and Emma Watson, have criticised Rowlings remarks. Staff at her publisher Hachette are reportedly refusing to work on her newest book.
In 2018, the New York Times declared everyone is cancelled. It can take just one thing seemingly nothing for someone to be cancelled, argued the the story.
In many cases, cancel culture is criticised as mob mentality echoing the same principles of bullying. Cancel culture has become reactive instead of proactive: knee-jerk reactions and lashing out rather than progressive calls for accountability.
Our research shows fandoms can be spaces where people with shared interests build on visible collective identities and camaraderie. But fandoms can also be spaces of invisible emotional attachments: private friendships with real or imagined characters.
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So, when the centre of a fandom is cancelled, the collective and personal identities and friendships can be challenged.
Cancelled fandoms
The unexpected departure (or self-cancellation) of vlogger Jenna Marbles (real name Jenna Mourey) from YouTube epitomises the dangers of cancel culture.
Many fans were left devastated when Mourey announced her departure. While some fans are very critical of her offensive early videos, featuring gender stereotypes and blackface, others saw her moving away from this content as a symbol of how much Mourey has grown.
In an impassioned video (which has now also been removed from YouTube), Mourey gave an authentic apology for videos from 2011 and 2012 which have not been public on her account for several years. She said:
[] I just want to make sure the things Im putting in the world arent hurting anyone

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