Managing Director of Igniyte and reputation expert, Roz Sheldon, talks to The Daily Mail about cancel culture and how to keep on the right side of the fence.
Cancel culture doesn’t only affect celebrities. Anyone that posts regularly online could find themselves in danger of being cancelled. This is very often the case for people that have no filter when posting online and don’t hold back with their thoughts and opinions.
The scope of online interactions is massive, and it could mean something as small as a Facebook comment or a chat log from a WhatsApp group. It could be something on TikTok that goes viral for the wrong reasons. Whatever it is, it’s always worth being careful about what gets posted online. And if it’s something that could be seen as controversial it’s never worth it.
Roz Sheldon was asked by the Daily Mail how to determine whether you’re at risk of being cancelled and how to avoid it. She said: “If what you’re saying is strong enough to offend someone, you could be at risk of being cancelled. That is, other people taking umbrage at your remarks and let you and everyone else know about it – including your employer.”
Ill-thought-out posts online can gain momentum quicker than anyone can predict. Roz explained: “The more people comment in response or share your post or video online, the algorithms of social media will show it to more pairs of eyes… If the original poster is a business owner, staff member or person of interest, this can impact an employer’s brand. The knock-on effect is often huge financial loss.”
Roz Sheldon acknowledged that this can sometimes be seen as a form of justice. For example, if someone was found to be homophobic, or physically, emotionally or sexually abusive then the cancellation could be justified. She said: “Cancel culture certainly has its place here. It can be a great tool for positive social change.”
“But at Igniyte, we frequently work with individuals who have had their reputation and livelihood permanently damaged due to ‘grey area’ circumstances.”
In terms of what is safe to post, Roz Sheldon advised: “Be your authentic self, and if that means having a strong opinion online and being edgy, all credit to you. Just be very careful not to creep into the territory of always being ‘controversial positing your unchecked political or societal views without being aware that they could negatively impair your career if employers don’t like your approach.”
To find out what to do if you have been cancelled, head to the dailymail.co.uk to read the full article.
An experienced Digital PR and corporate communications professional, Benjamin leads PR strategy and delivery for Igniyte’s clients across multiple countries and sectors.
With over 5 years’ experience in marketing, communications, and PR, Benjamin consistently gains high-ranking positive coverage for our clients in national, international, and specialist online media – including The Times, The National, The I Paper, EuroNews, Forbes and PC Mag.
