If you spend a lot of time on social media, you’ve probably heard of someone being “cancelled”. This means information became public about an internet personality that was controversial, leading to this person losing fans/followers. Depending on the issue, the person could also end up being pressured off the internet, basically losing their job.
Recently, I was scrolling through my feed and saw that Ned Fulmer, a member of The Try Guys on Youtube, has been caught cheating on his wife. Now, if you don’t know who Ned Fulmer is, you may not understand why this is so shocking, let me put it into perspective for you. Ned has been married to Ariel Fulmer for approximately 10 years, according to Just Jared. Ned’s fans nicknamed him Ned “my wife” Fulmer because he always brought her up and spoke so highly of her and their relationship. Fans are starting to believe he did this to make us believe the relationship was perfect when it actually was not.
So, who did Ned cheat on Ariel with? None other than Alexandria Herring. Alexandria is the associate producer of the Try Guys, making Ned her boss. You probably think it can’t get messier than this, but Alexandria is actually engaged and his been with this person for 10 years!
The internet is now in a frenzy, not having the full story on the consensual relationship Alexandria and Ned shared, they aren’t sure if they should be both be cancelled. However, everyone agrees Ned is in the wrong.
With the power of the internet today, The Try Guys were already prepared with a statement the minute news was public. This statement just explained that Ned was no longer working with them. This means they already knew the opinion of the fans before information was public, they would cancel Ned even if he didn’t leave the channel.
So, how do you avoid this situation? Remember that all of your information is or can easily become public. If you are a public figure, you need to be cautious with not only what you post, but also what you are doing offline. Even if you aren’t a public figure you can be cancelled. There are many instances of teenagers posting a video with a controversial topic and then being cancelled, even though no one knew who they were before the video. Teenagers have been kicked out of school because of videos or posts, adults in the work field have been fired because of a post or video as well. In the end, the only way to avoid being cancelled is by not doing anything someone could interpret as rude.
Do you think being cancelled is fair or should people have a chance to explain themselves and be given a second try? Have you ever lost an opportunity because of your online presence? Let me know in the discussion space below.
Algonquin College Social Media Certificate Program 
Thanks for this post and great topic. I noticed over the years how much audiences affect celebrities and social media stars and the new “cancel culture” we live in. I enjoyed the recent examples you provided.
I do not believe in the cancel culture trend that is going around. Until you have lived in this person’s shoe, you do not have the right to judge them. It is possible that these two couples might have an open relationship. We as a social should not impart our views on others. Everyone should be able to live their lives.