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Continuous Theta Burst Stimulation of the Posterior Medial Frontal Cortex to Experimentally Reduce Ideological Threat Responses

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Published on: September 28, 2018

Cancel culture can be collectively validating for groups experiencing harm.

Marissa Traversa¹, Ying Tian¹, Stephen C Wright¹

¹Intergroup Relations and Social Justice Lab, Department of Psychology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada.

Frontiers in Psychology

|August 7, 2023

Summary

Cancel culture can motivate collective action by providing marginalized groups with collective validation. This research explores how cancel culture and collective validation influence group resistance following intergroup harm.

Keywords:

cancel culture collective action collective validation intergroup relations racism sexism

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Area of Science:

Social Psychology
Intergroup Relations
Collective Action Research

Background:

Existing research on collective action and intergroup harm overlooks the roles of cancel culture and collective validation.
Cancel culture is often criticized, but its impact on marginalized groups' perspectives and resistance remains understudied.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the influence of cancel culture on collective action intentions.
To examine the mediating role of collective validation in the relationship between cancel culture and collective action.
To broaden understanding of psychological mechanisms driving collective action in response to intergroup harm.

Main Methods:

Two experimental studies were conducted.
Participants read about intergroup discrimination, followed by exposure to a cancel culture scenario.
Study 1 involved female university students responding to sexism; Study 2 used a community sample of East Asian Canadians and Americans responding to racism.

Main Results:

Cancel culture indirectly increased collective action intentions through collective validation and empowerment (Study 1).
Cancel culture also indirectly increased collective action intentions via collective validation, anger, and contempt (Study 2).
Collective validation was a key mediator in both studies.

Conclusions:

This research introduces collective validation and cancel culture to social psychological theory on collective action.
It highlights how marginalized groups perceive cancel culture as validating, contributing to their resistance.
Findings suggest cancel culture can be a significant factor in marginalized groups' collective action and resistance.