Sidestep Cancel Culture: 3 Ways to Manage Your Reputation Online To avoid falling victim to cancel culture, should you avoid being online or are there ways to inoculate your reputation? Here, we'll look at three proven systems to manage reputation online.
By Lida Citroën
Opinions expressed by BIZ Experiences contributors are their own.
Sixty years ago, people would cancel their subscriptions to magazines if a particular article or advertisement offended them. Today, participating in "cancel culture" might mean ending a personal relationship, getting someone fired or generating a firestorm of negativity online. A single tweet can end a career—or unleash over 1 million retweets in a single day. People are getting canceled when they slip up, resulting in social media outrage, boycotting and great risk to their reputation.
It's not just celebrities who are in danger here; anyone with an online presence can be canceled. Since your actions online reflect on you (and most likely your company, too), it's up to you to manage your reputation so you don't get dragged through the mud.
I've counseled many individuals who are worried about that outcome. Let's start by identifying when we are most at risk of cancel culture. Sometimes, everyday people get in hot water when they act out of line with their values. Even more often, a public comment deemed offensive or inappropriate upsets an audience whose values and beliefs you did not understand fully or were careless in addressing.
It's natural to be daunted by the prospect of cancel culture. The risks to your career and business are high. Here's my top advice on how to proactively build and manage a cancel-proof reputation online.
Build context
I've heard people say that you should hide or stay silent if you don't want to get canceled. In fact, the opposite is true. The more visibility you give your values, beliefs and work online, the harder it will be for your words and actions to be taken out of context.
Your digital capital is valuable; it grants you power. When you stay silent or post without clear intent, you give away that power. Internet "trolls" love to misinterpret the words and actions of others. The less context you have, the easier it is for trolls to swoop in.
In order to build a strong context for the things you post, make sure that you're intentional and clear in everything you put out there. Clarify and emphasize your values and stick to content that supports those values. Unless it's aligned with your personal brand and reputation goals, resist engaging with negativity and highly charged topics online.
As you build your personal brand, strategically use your voice and be intentional with the content you share online. Make sure it aligns with your values and who you are as a person. That way, you'll make the most of your online visibility.
Related: Here's the No. 1 Thing Brands Can Do to Avoid Public Outrage and Cancel Culture
Curate your social network
Pay close attention to the company you keep. Cancel culture doesn't just target those who actively make a mistake online; other people in their professional and personal networks can be dragged down with them by association.
Curate your immediate network to ensure that their values align with yours. Your contacts don't necessarily have to share your exact passions and mission, but their beliefs should align in theme with yours. For example, if your religion plays a large part in your life, build a network of people to whom faith is also important.
In a broader sense, your network should reflect the values you espouse. For instance, if you post about how important diversity is to you, your network should be composed of diverse individuals. Make sure you're practicing what you preach, especially with your relationships.
Related: 3 Tips to Better Use the Social Networks You Use Every Day
Understand your audience
When you don't know what makes your online audience tick, you're in grave danger of posting something tone-deaf, inappropriate or offensive. Consider the example of celebrities who faced backlash for complaining about having to quarantine in gorgeous mansions at the beginning of the pandemic. Their comments were criticized for being tone-deaf to those living with far worse situations in lockdown. This kind of problem can arise easily when people get too comfortable in a casual conversation online or start to feel anonymous behind a keyboard.
Know who your communities are online. Educate yourself on who is reading and spreading your content, and who you would like to target with your message. Check the demographic analytics that Google, Facebook and other tech hubs provide for you. Research what has gotten others in your field into tough spots.
Related: How Brands Deal With Online Haters, Trolls and Cancel Culture
Ultimately…
Remember that you're in control of your online presence. Building context, curating your network and understanding your audience will go a long way towards inoculating your personal brand and reputation against cancel culture.
Trolls will always be a part of the internet, but as long as you use these resources to take a confident, constructive and positive approach to your content, people in your circle will be inspired to respond in kind.
