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The right to cancel: cancel culture and the implications of moral coupling on business in the age of social media
Shewell, Daniel Paul. 2025. The right to cancel: cancel culture and the implications of moral coupling on business in the age of social media. Unpublished masters thesis. Stellenbosch: Stellenbosch Univeristy [online]. Available: https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/133097
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
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Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
2025
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| _version_ | 1867614115720069120 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Shewell, Daniel Paul |
| author2 | Woermann, Minka |
| author_browse | Shewell, Daniel Paul Woermann, Minka |
| author_facet | Woermann, Minka Shewell, Daniel Paul |
| author_sort | Shewell, Daniel Paul |
| collection | Thesis |
| dc_rights_str_mv | Stellenbosch University |
| description | Shewell, Daniel Paul. 2025. The right to cancel: cancel culture and the implications of moral coupling on business in the age of social media. Unpublished masters thesis. Stellenbosch: Stellenbosch Univeristy [online]. Available: https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/133097 |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/133097 |
| institution | Stellenbosch University (South Africa) |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:46:55.034Z |
| license_str | Other — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| publishDateRange | 2025 |
| publishDateSort | 2025 |
| publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| publisherStr | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| spelling | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/133097 The right to cancel: cancel culture and the implications of moral coupling on business in the age of social media Shewell, Daniel Paul Woermann, Minka Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Philosophy. Applied Ethics. Social media -- Moral and ethical aspects Cancel culture Online social networks -- Social aspects Consumers -- Attitudes UCTD Shewell, Daniel Paul. 2025. The right to cancel: cancel culture and the implications of moral coupling on business in the age of social media. Unpublished masters thesis. Stellenbosch: Stellenbosch Univeristy [online]. Available: https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/133097 Thesis (MPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2025. ENGLISH ABSTRACT: In the age of social media and rapid content circulation no stone is left unturned, and no voice is left unheard. Consumers have access to multiple platforms to share their discontent towards public figures and businesses that are perceived to have engaged in morally reprehensible behaviour. If a brand can be destroyed with just one post or tweet, it is imperative that we engage with and try to understand the dangerous new phenomenon that is cancel culture. Cancel culture has seemingly claimed many victims over the year, from fashion brands like Balenciaga and Adidas, to celebrities such as Tiger Woods and Kanye West. This study examines existing literature in order to provide a complete understanding of modern cancel culture. Two theories in particular provide the main insight into my discussion of cancel culture. Moral coupling is a theory developed by Joon Sung Lee and Dae Hee Kwak that proposes that consumers may find it difficult to separate judgments of morality from judgements of performance, or in more common terms, to separate the art from the artist (2016). The second theory that I examine is the cancel culture framework developed by Natalya Saldanha, Rajendra Mulye and Kaleel Rahman (2022). This framework details the relationship norm violation that is triggered by a moral transgression which leads to a public figure or brand being cancelled by a consumer. The framework also provides an understanding of the personality types of consumers who are more likely to engage in cancellation. In this study, I combine the two theories to develop an integrated cancel culture framework that I believe provides a holistic depiction of modern cancel culture. The integrated cancel culture framework uses the original frameworks understanding of the personality aspect of cancellation compounded with moral coupling theory’s explanation on how moral judgements are coupled onto performance judgements. The integrated cancel culture framework was tested on four different case studies in order to test the framework’s ability to explain what transpired in each case. The case studies revealed that in each case moral coupling was prevalent in the consumer’s reactions to the different scandals. The prevalence of moral coupling in the cases highlighted the existence of secondary targets that are affected by cancellation through their association with the primary target. The existence of these secondary targets is evidence that the integration of moral coupling with the cancel culture framework is able to help us gain a better understanding of cancel culture. Cancel culture is built on links, relationships and a general sense of connection between agents and targets. The ethical question that this study proposes from this understanding is what responsibilities are involved in these connections? Businesses need to understand the responsibility that they have to both their consumers and their brand ambassadors in order to prevent moral transgressions and subsequent cancellation. The cases highlight the way in which businesses do not take accountability in the face of cancellation and in turn they face even stronger repercussions. AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Geen opsomming beskikbaar. Masters 2025-07-17T12:03:41Z 2025-07-17T12:03:41Z 2025-03 Thesis https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/133097 en Stellenbosch University 61 pages application/pdf Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| spellingShingle | Social media -- Moral and ethical aspects Cancel culture Online social networks -- Social aspects Consumers -- Attitudes UCTD Shewell, Daniel Paul The right to cancel: cancel culture and the implications of moral coupling on business in the age of social media |
| title | The right to cancel: cancel culture and the implications of moral coupling on business in the age of social media |
| title_full | The right to cancel: cancel culture and the implications of moral coupling on business in the age of social media |
| title_fullStr | The right to cancel: cancel culture and the implications of moral coupling on business in the age of social media |
| title_full_unstemmed | The right to cancel: cancel culture and the implications of moral coupling on business in the age of social media |
| title_short | The right to cancel: cancel culture and the implications of moral coupling on business in the age of social media |
| title_sort | right to cancel cancel culture and the implications of moral coupling on business in the age of social media |
| topic | Social media -- Moral and ethical aspects Cancel culture Online social networks -- Social aspects Consumers -- Attitudes UCTD |
| url | https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/133097 |
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