Retributive Impulses in Online Cancel Culture: The Role of Echo Chambers and Individual Differences

This study investigated whether cancel culture is driven by the retributive impulse and the role of echo chambers in online platforms. An anonymous online survey was utilised for this single-factor between-subjects study. Retained participants ( N= 126) aged between 18-79 in Australia read a fictional social media post calling for the cancellation of a university professor with comments on the post being either supportive (echo chamber) or mixed (no echo chamber). As predicted, those in the echo chamber condition showed significantly higher punitive sentiments than those in the no echo chamber condition. Moreover, anger independently predicted punitive sentiment, suggesting the retributive impulse does drive cancelling behaviour. However, contrary to expectations, anger did not mediate the relationship between echo chamber and punitive sentiment, nor did Need for Cognition or Emotional Reactivity moderate this indirect effect. Findings tentatively support that cancel culture may be an expression of the retributive impulse, however, the link between echo chambers and the retributive impulse remains unclear. Future qualitative research is required to elucidate what is driving participation in this complex social phenomenon in conjunction with higher verisimilitude stimuli.