Naming and Shaming: Digital Patriarchy in Indonesian Cancel Culture

Fadila Rahma Sari; Anang Sujoko; Fitri Hariana Oktaviani

Authors

Fadila Rahma Sari Department of Communication Science, Universitas Brawijaya, Malang, Indonesia
Anang Sujoko Department of Communication Science, Universitas Brawijaya, Malang, Indonesia
Fitri Hariana Oktaviani Department of Communication Science, Universitas Brawijaya, Malang, Indonesia

Keywords:

Cancel culture, Digital Patriarchy, Feminist Post-Structuralist Discourse Analysis.

Abstract

Cancel culture has emerged as a prominent feature of social media communication, often framed as a form of digital accountability. Yet in practice, it frequently reproduces real life existing gender inequalities. This paper examines how naming and shaming practices on Indonesian Twitter reinforce patriarchal norms by disproportionately targeting women in viral infidelity scandals. By applying Feminist Post-Structuralist Discourse Analysis (FPDA), the study shows how derogatory labels such as pelakor (homewrecker) operate as communicative tools of public punishment that reduce women to symbols of immorality and family destruction. By contrast, the men involved were largely invisible or treated with leniency, and it illustrates the persistence of double standards in digital communication. The paper draws on qualitative analysis of Twitter discourse, examining patterns of insulting language and their cultural meanings. This paper shows that cancel culture works as digital patriarchy in action, where naming and shaming are a form of symbolic violence.

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