Why ‘Cancel Culture’ Is Here to Stay

Technology enables new mechanisms of social accountability. Are we ready?

The “many-to-many” paradigm of social media, combined with an instantaneous “new visibility,” have given rise to new mechanisms of communication. They are here whether we want them or not. Illustrations courtesy of the author

A couple of weeks ago, I went online and encountered the kind of news that no one ever wants to read. A prominent Biblical scholar and Oxford professor, Jan Joosten, had been arrested for downloading some 28,000 images and videos documenting the sexual exploitation of children, a…