Is Cancel Culture Really New? A History of Public Shaming

One morning, coffee in hand, I caught myself spiraling down a rabbit hole of thoughts about cancel culture. It wasn’t the first time the subject had come up—friends and I had been circling around the same debate for weeks. Is this relentless cycle of public calling-out unique to our digital age, born of hashtags and viral outrage? Or are we simply reinventing an old practice, dressing up an ancient human instinct in Twitter threads and TikTok clips?

The more I thought about it, the more I realized: public shaming is nothing new. Humans have always found ways to call one another out, whether through community gossip, church sermons, or literal punishment in the town square. What’s different now is the stage—digital instead of physical—and the sheer speed at which judgment can spread.

A single post can catapult someone into infamy overnight, their reputation shredded in hours rather than weeks. So, let’s rewind through history, peek at the past, and see how much our so-called “modern” cancel culture actually mirrors what’s been done for ages.

Understanding Cancel Culture: A Modern Day Villain or Hero?

At its core, cancel culture is the practice of withdrawing support from a person or entity that has stepped outside the bounds of what society deems acceptable. It might mean unfollowing a celebrity, boycotting a brand, or calling out an acquaintance for a questionable post. Some people frame it as accountability—society collectively refusing to reward bad behavior. Others see it as a modern mob, doling out punishment with no jury, no trial, and no path to redemption.

I’ve watched both sides play out online. Sometimes it’s empowering: voices that were once ignored finally have a megaphone, and the powerful face real consequences for harmful actions. Other times, it’s messy and cruel. A single poorly phrased tweet can spiral into harassment campaigns, threats, and long-term damage. The duality is what makes cancel culture so fascinating—and so polarizing.

Historical Parallels: Public Shaming Through the Ages

Cancel culture may feel like a product of smartphones and social media, but its roots stretch back centuries. Humans have always loved a spectacle, especially when it comes to justice.

1. The Stocks and Pillories

In medieval towns, criminals were locked into wooden frames in the public square. Their punishment wasn’t just physical discomfort—it was humiliation. Townsfolk jeered, hurled insults, and sometimes threw food or worse. The entire community watched, ensuring shame stuck as firmly as the punishment itself. Doesn’t that sound eerily similar to going viral for the wrong reason—except instead of tomatoes, it’s memes and comment sections raining down?

2. The Scarlet Letter

Fast forward to the 17th century, and you find Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter. Hester Prynne, forced to wear a bright red “A” for adultery, lived every day branded by her community’s disapproval. The punishment didn’t end with a single moment—it followed her everywhere. Today, the “A” has been replaced with a trending hashtag or a viral screenshot, but the effect is similar: reputations permanently pinned to a single act.

3. Witch Hunts and Trials

And then there’s Salem. In the late 1600s, hysteria and fear fueled witch trials that relied more on accusation than proof. Once named, clearing your reputation was nearly impossible. The parallels to modern digital pile-ons are hard to ignore—rumors snowball, fear spreads, and lives are destroyed before evidence has a chance to catch up.

A Personal Glimpse: Watching a Modern Cancelation

I once saw this unfold in real time with someone close to me. A friend posted what she thought was a harmless joke, but it landed badly. Within hours, comments turned sharp, strangers joined in, and calls to unfollow her spread like wildfire. It wasn’t just the online noise—it was the real-world fallout. She worried about her job, withdrew from social media, and carried the weight of being labeled “problematic.”

Watching her endure that storm taught me two things: first, how fast things escalate in the digital age; and second, how little space the internet leaves for grace. What might have once been a private conversation or correction is now a public trial, with little room for nuance.

The Double-Edged Sword: Empowerment vs. Mob Rule

Cancel culture is both microphone and megaphone. On the bright side, it has given marginalized communities a tool to challenge the powerful. The #MeToo movement is one example—without public outcry amplified by digital platforms, many voices might still be unheard, and accountability might never have arrived.

But there’s also a darker edge. Dog-piling, doxxing, and reputational ruin often follow even small missteps. Once the mob forms, slowing it down is nearly impossible. Public shaming has always been brutal for the accused; the internet just made the crowd infinitely bigger and the punishment far more permanent.

Finding a Balance: Lessons From History

Looking at history, one thing is clear: public shaming rarely disappears—it just evolves. If we want to avoid repeating the harshest mistakes of the past, we can take some lessons with us into the digital present.

1. Seek the Whole Story

Before you share, comment, or retweet, pause. Stocks and pillories once punished people for crimes we would now consider minor or absurd. Context matters, and rushing to judgment without it can do lasting harm.

2. Lead With Empathy

Mistakes happen. Outrage without compassion strips away the possibility of learning or growth. If accountability is the goal, empathy has to be part of the process.

3. Make Room for Redemption

History shows that shame alone rarely reforms behavior. If we want real change, we need to create space for people to apologize, grow, and try again. Cancelation without redemption is exile, not accountability.

Wonder Points!

1. Not new at all: Cancel culture echoes centuries of stocks, scarlet letters, and witch hunts.
2. Shaming as spectacle: Humans have always enforced norms through public judgment.
3. Accountability matters: Today’s call-outs can give power to voices once silenced.
4. Beware the mob: Outrage without fairness risks becoming digital bullying.
5. Learning from history: Balance, empathy, and redemption should guide us now.

From Stocks to Screens

Cancel culture isn’t a brand-new invention; it’s a digital remix of an ancient social practice—public shaming. What makes it unique today is the reach, the speed, and the permanence of the online archive. The challenge for us isn’t whether cancel culture exists—it always has—but how we choose to wield it. If we can balance accountability with empathy, and justice with the possibility of growth, then maybe, just maybe, we can avoid repeating the harshest chapters of our past.