As a person intending to go into the arts and mass media communication, Abigail takes pride in being up to date on popular culture, which means having to learn an entirely new vocabulary of internet jargon in order to stay up to date on the current trends. Among the new terms is the word “cancel” which has led to the temporary banishment of several public figures from the public eye. As an avid member of the International Thespian Society and an advocate for the arts, Abigail strongly believes that the time to acknowledge the toxicity of so-called “cancel culture” is now, before it ruins careers, desensitizes society to toxic behavior, and lays waste to the work of a new generation of artists. Abigail hopes that with education and compassion, we will all learn to express our opinions in respectful ways that positively contribute to the online landscape. As a person intending to go into the arts and mass media communication, Abigail takes pride in being up to date on popular culture, which means having to learn an entirely new vocabulary of internet jargon in order to stay up to date on the current trends.Among the new terms is the word “cancel” which has led to the temporary banishment of several public figures from the public eye. As an avid member of the International Thespian Society and an advocate for the arts, Abigail strongly believes that the time to acknowledge the toxicity of so-called “cancel culture” is now, before it ruins careers, desensitizes society to toxic behavior, and lays waste to the work of a new generation of artists. Abigail hopes that with education and compassion, we will all learn to express our opinions in respectful ways that positively contribute to the online landscape. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at www.ted.com/tedx