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Chapter 6. Cancel Culture and influencers

The Hilaria Baldwin case
  • Pilar Garcés-Conejos Blitvich
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Influencer Discourse
This chapter is in the book Influencer Discourse

Abstract

The cancellation of Hilaria Baldwin, amid accusations of deception (regarding claims that she was a Spanish woman and Spanish was her native language) and Cultural Appropriation (CAPP), was a complex case, involving language ideologies, authenticity, and the racialization undergone by the Spanish language and related identities in the US, exacerbated by Cancel Culture (CC). While CC has been widely discussed in non-academic literature, recent academic scholarship on the topic largely takes a macro approach. This chapter provides a less frequent examination of cancellation processes at the micro level, analyzing user-generated posts in related YouTube videos. Drawing on discursive pragmatics and Corpus Assisted Discourse Studies, it argues that Hilaria Baldwin’s case is deeply connected to perceptions of Spanish/Latino/Hispanic identity in the US. Despite dissent on CAPP, Hilaria’s dishonesty about her background triggered her cancellation, reenforcing claims about the fundamental link between perceived immoral behavior and cancellation events as well as the high expectations regarding authenticity in influencers’ self-presentation.

Abstract

The cancellation of Hilaria Baldwin, amid accusations of deception (regarding claims that she was a Spanish woman and Spanish was her native language) and Cultural Appropriation (CAPP), was a complex case, involving language ideologies, authenticity, and the racialization undergone by the Spanish language and related identities in the US, exacerbated by Cancel Culture (CC). While CC has been widely discussed in non-academic literature, recent academic scholarship on the topic largely takes a macro approach. This chapter provides a less frequent examination of cancellation processes at the micro level, analyzing user-generated posts in related YouTube videos. Drawing on discursive pragmatics and Corpus Assisted Discourse Studies, it argues that Hilaria Baldwin’s case is deeply connected to perceptions of Spanish/Latino/Hispanic identity in the US. Despite dissent on CAPP, Hilaria’s dishonesty about her background triggered her cancellation, reenforcing claims about the fundamental link between perceived immoral behavior and cancellation events as well as the high expectations regarding authenticity in influencers’ self-presentation.

Chapters in this book

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. Introduction 1
  4. Part I. Affect, authenticity and fandom
  5. Chapter 1. Reconfiguring and repurposing authenticity 20
  6. Chapter 2. The divided affective connections with the influencer 43
  7. Chapter 3. The dimensions of relatability for Instagram lifestyle influencers 75
  8. Part II. Aggression, cancellation and (anti)fandom
  9. Chapter 4. “Oh wow! We getting ready for my funeral?” 100
  10. Chapter 5. 🍊🍊🍊: Political influencers as flashpoints for manufactured online aggression 128
  11. Chapter 6. Cancel Culture and influencers 148
  12. Chapter 7. Influencers’ conflictual responses to posters’ offensive comments on Instagram 175
  13. Part III. Genres and relational practices
  14. Chapter 8. Performing branded affect in micro‑celebrity YouTube reaction videos 200
  15. Chapter 9. Social media influencers and #DigitalDetoxDay 227
  16. Chapter 10. The construction of tellability in YouTube vlogging 250
  17. Chapter 11. “Getting personal with you” 278
  18. Index 303
https://doi.org/10.1075/pbns.349.06bli

Chapters in this book

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. Introduction 1
  4. Part I. Affect, authenticity and fandom
  5. Chapter 1. Reconfiguring and repurposing authenticity 20
  6. Chapter 2. The divided affective connections with the influencer 43
  7. Chapter 3. The dimensions of relatability for Instagram lifestyle influencers 75
  8. Part II. Aggression, cancellation and (anti)fandom
  9. Chapter 4. “Oh wow! We getting ready for my funeral?” 100
  10. Chapter 5. 🍊🍊🍊: Political influencers as flashpoints for manufactured online aggression 128
  11. Chapter 6. Cancel Culture and influencers 148
  12. Chapter 7. Influencers’ conflictual responses to posters’ offensive comments on Instagram 175
  13. Part III. Genres and relational practices
  14. Chapter 8. Performing branded affect in micro‑celebrity YouTube reaction videos 200
  15. Chapter 9. Social media influencers and #DigitalDetoxDay 227
  16. Chapter 10. The construction of tellability in YouTube vlogging 250
  17. Chapter 11. “Getting personal with you” 278
  18. Index 303
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