Cancel Culture in Nigeria: Justice or Cruelty?

In today’s world, one post on social media can change everything about a person’s life. You can wake up one day and a single tweet, video, or something said years ago can suddenly go viral. In Nigeria, many people use platforms like X, Instagram, Facebook and TikTok to ‘call people out’, set them up for drags, and generally dent their image. This is what we call ‘cancel culture’.

Cancel culture means people stop supporting someone because of something they did or said that the social media mob does not agree with. It could be a celebrity, an influencer, or even an ordinary person.

Most of the time, the idea behind cancel culture when it comes to celebrities is to make fans stop following the individual in question. For brands or businesses, it is to influence the public’s choice from buying, or supporting the person behind the business or brand, resulting in low patronage that may lead to the collapse of the business.

The big question however is – Does cancel culture facilitate justice, or has it become a tool for dehumanization and witch-hunt?

In Nigeria, many people think of this culture as a way to hold others accountable, on the assumption that the justice system does not act quickly. Social media cancel culture therefore presents as a quicker means to social justice, despite its obvious flaws.

There have been many real-life examples. During the End SARS protests, some celebrities were heavily criticized because they did not speak out as early as the others. Others were attacked for saying things that the public considered to be wrong. Social media users quickly judged them and, in some cases, tried to cancel them.

Popular figures like Debo Adedayo, popularly known as Mr Macaroni, have faced backlash online because of their strong opinions about government and society. At the same time, influencer, Halima Raheem, aka Papaya Ex, has been called out many times for her content, with people asking brands to stop working with her.

It is not only celebrities that are affected. Regular Nigerians have also been cancelled. Sometimes, a simple video or an old tweet can go viral, and suddenly thousands of people are insulting, judging, or even threatening the person. Some have even lost their jobs because of online backlash.

Supporters of cancel culture say it is a good thing. They believe it helps people take responsibility for their actions. It also gives victims a voice and helps to call out bad behavior. In some cases, it has forced people to apologize or change.

However, there is another side to it. There is but a narrow line between cancel culture, bullying, and hate. Many times, people judge without knowing the full story, and go beyond boundaries of human dignity to denigrate, intimidate, and destroy the reputation of people whose stories they do not know, nor fully understand.

In Nigeria especially, where our emotions are high online, cancel culture can quickly turn into a digital mob action. One person makes an accusation and thousands of others join in, before facts are verified. Hashtags begin to trend, opinions become facts, and the person accused is judged based on public opinion. In such moments, there is rarely room for fair hearing, growth, or even forgiveness.

Another concern is that cancel culture often leaves no space for change. Humans are not perfect; people make mistakes, sometimes out of ignorance, pressure, or poor judgment; but when society refuses to allow room for learning and improvement, it creates fear instead of growth. People become more concerned about avoiding backlash than actually doing what is right. This can lead to silence on important issues, as people may choose to say nothing instead of risking being misunderstood and cancelled.

There is also the danger of selective outrage. Some people are cancelled for certain actions, while others who do similar or worse things are ignored, simply because of popularity, influence, or public sentiment. This inconsistency raises questions about fairness and whether cancel culture truly seeks justice or simply feeds on trends and emotions.

In the better case, cancel culture can serve as a tool for accountability, especially in a society where institutions sometimes fail to act quickly. It can expand voices that would instead go unheard and bring attention to serious issues. But in the worst case, it becomes a weapon of destruction, driven by anger, wrong assumptions, and the need for online validation.

So, is cancel culture in Nigeria justice or cruelty? The answer may lie somewhere in between. It is neither completely good nor entirely bad, but what matters is how it is used.

As Nigerians continue to engage actively on social media, there is a need for more responsibility, empathy, and critical thinking. Before joining a drag, it is important to ask questions like: Do I know the full story? Am I seeking justice? or, Am I just following the crowd?

At the end of the day, behind every trending topic is a human being, and no one deserves to be reduced to just a hashtag where they should enjoy the privileges of fair hearing.