Witch Trials on Social Media: Cancel Culture in Magical Communities

By NICOLE LAU

Introduction: History Repeats

"[Name] is CANCELLED. Share this so everyone knows what they did."

The irony is bitter: witches—people who identify with those persecuted in historical witch trials—engaging in their own form of witch hunts on social media. Callout posts, pile-ons, public shaming, and demands for cancellation have become common in magical and pagan communities online.

Sometimes the accusations are serious and the accountability necessary. Sometimes they're exaggerated, misunderstood, or outright false. And sometimes the response—regardless of the validity of the accusation—mirrors the very persecution our ancestors faced.

This guide examines cancel culture in magical communities, the parallels to historical witch trials, when accountability becomes persecution, how to navigate these dynamics, and how to create justice without replicating oppression.

The Phenomenon

What It Looks Like

• Callout posts: Public accusations on social media
• Pile-ons: Hundreds or thousands joining the attack
• Demands for cancellation: "Deplatform them!" "Boycott!"
• Spreading the word: "Share so everyone knows"
• Guilt by association: Anyone who defends them is also cancelled
• No forgiveness: Permanent exile from community

Common Accusations in Magical Communities

• Cultural appropriation
• Scamming or fraud
• Abuse or harassment
• Racism, sexism, other bigotry
• Spreading misinformation
• "Toxic" behavior
• Not being "woke" enough
• Past mistakes (sometimes decades old)

The Dynamics

• Accusation: Someone posts a callout
• Amplification: Others share and add their own stories
• Pile-on: Hundreds join the attack
• Escalation: Accusations become more extreme
• Consequences: Person loses platform, income, community
• Permanence: Follows them forever online

Parallels to Historical Witch Trials

Similarities

1. Accusation as Proof

• Then: Accusation of witchcraft was often enough
• Now: Accusation on social media treated as fact
• Both: Burden of proof on accused, not accuser

2. Mob Mentality

• Then: Community turned on accused
• Now: Online mob piles on
• Both: Safety in numbers, diffused responsibility

3. No Due Process

• Then: Unfair trials, predetermined outcomes
• Now: No investigation, no defense allowed
• Both: Guilty until proven innocent (or just guilty)

4. Guilt by Association

• Then: Defending accused made you suspect
• Now: Supporting cancelled person gets you cancelled
• Both: Fear prevents defense

5. Performative Purity

• Then: Proving you're not a witch
• Now: Proving you're not problematic
• Both: Impossible standards, moving goalposts

6. Permanent Stain

• Then: Accusation followed you forever
• Now: Internet never forgets
• Both: No redemption, no forgiveness

Key Difference

• Then: State-sanctioned violence and execution
• Now: Social consequences, not death
• But: Can still destroy lives, livelihoods, mental health

When Accountability Is Necessary

Real Harm Requires Real Accountability

• Abuse: Physical, sexual, emotional
• Fraud and scams: Stealing money, lying
• Serious harm: Actions that genuinely hurt people
• Pattern of behavior: Repeated, unrepentant harm
• Danger: Ongoing threat to community

Appropriate Responses

• Warning others: Protecting community from harm
• Removing platform: Not giving abusers audience
• Consequences: Actions have results
• Boundaries: Community protecting itself
• Justice: Holding people accountable

How to Do It Right

• Verify information: Don't just believe and share
• Proportional response: Consequence fits the harm
• Due process: Investigation, evidence, defense
• Focus on behavior: Not character assassination
• Path to redemption: If person changes, allow growth
• Protect victims: Center their needs, not mob's

When Accountability Becomes Persecution

Red Flags

1. Disproportionate Response

• Minor mistake treated as unforgivable sin
• Punishment far exceeds harm
• Destroying someone over small error

2. No Evidence Required

• Accusation alone is enough
• "Believe all accusations" without verification
• Screenshots can be faked, context matters

3. No Defense Allowed

• Defending yourself proves guilt
• Asking for evidence is "victim blaming"
• No way to clear your name

4. Performative Activism

• More about looking good than actual justice
• Virtue signaling through cancellation
• Competing to be most woke

5. Purity Politics

• Impossible standards
• Everyone eventually gets cancelled
• No room for growth or mistakes

6. Mob Enjoyment

• People enjoying the destruction
• Gleeful pile-ons
• Cruelty disguised as justice

Examples of Overreach

• Cancelling someone for a mistake from 10 years ago
• Destroying someone over misunderstanding
• Pile-on for minor cultural insensitivity
• Cancelling for not being activist enough
• Attacking for asking questions

The Harm of Cancel Culture

To Individuals

• Mental health: Anxiety, depression, PTSD, suicide
• Livelihood: Loss of income, career destruction
• Relationships: Friends abandon out of fear
• Reputation: Permanent online record
• No redemption: Can't grow or change

To Communities

• Fear and silence: People afraid to speak
• Conformity: Everyone performing same views
• Lost wisdom: Experienced people driven out
• Fragmentation: Community splits and fractures
• Purity spirals: Eventually everyone is problematic

To Movements

• Infighting: Eating our own
• Lost focus: Fighting each other, not oppression
• Burnout: Constant vigilance exhausts
• Ineffectiveness: Can't build if constantly destroying

The Psychology

Why We Do It

1. Righteous Anger

• Genuine anger at injustice
• Desire to protect community
• Moral outrage

2. Belonging and Identity

• Proving you're one of the good ones
• In-group/out-group dynamics
• Social bonding through shared enemy

3. Power and Control

• Feeling powerful in powerless world
• Can destroy someone with a tweet
• Compensating for lack of systemic power

4. Displaced Anger

• Can't fight the system, so fight individuals
• Scapegoating
• Misdirected rage

5. Moral Licensing

• Cancelling others makes you feel good
• Proof of your virtue
• Absolution through accusation

The Addictive Quality

• Dopamine hit from likes and shares
• Excitement of drama
• Community bonding
• Righteous high
• Hard to stop once started

Navigating the Dynamics

If You See a Callout

Before Sharing

• Verify: Is this true? Evidence?
• Context: Full story or just one side?
• Proportionality: Does response fit the harm?
• Motivation: Justice or vengeance?
• Consequences: What will sharing do?

Questions to Ask

• Is this my business to share?
• Am I helping or piling on?
• Have I verified this information?
• Is there a better way to address this?
• What are my motivations?

If You're Accused

• Don't panic: Breathe, assess
• Evaluate validity: Is there truth to this?
• If true: Acknowledge, apologize, make amends
• If false: Calmly provide evidence, don't engage with mob
• Protect yourself: Mental health, legal counsel if needed
• Don't feed the fire: Engaging often makes it worse
• Find support: People who know you

If Someone You Know Is Accused

• Gather information: Don't just believe or disbelieve
• Support if appropriate: Friendship doesn't require abandonment
• Hold accountable if needed: Friends can do wrong
• Don't pile on: Even if they did wrong
• Nuance: People are complex

Better Approaches to Accountability

Transformative Justice

• Focus on healing: Not punishment
• Address root causes: Why did harm happen?
• Community process: Not mob action
• Accountability with humanity: People can change
• Repair: Making amends, not exile

Restorative Justice

• Bring parties together: Dialogue and understanding
• Repair harm: What does victim need?
• Reintegration: Path back to community
• Learning: Growth from mistakes

Private Accountability

• Direct communication: Talk to person first
• Private before public: Give chance to address
• Proportional escalation: Public only if private fails
• Respect privacy: Not everything needs to be public

Community Standards

• Clear guidelines: What's acceptable, what's not
• Due process: Investigation, evidence, defense
• Proportional consequences: Fit the harm
• Paths to redemption: How to make amends
• Protect vulnerable: Without destroying accused

Moving Forward

Individual Responsibility

• Think before sharing: Verify, consider consequences
• Nuance: People are complex, situations are complicated
• Compassion: Even for those who've done wrong
• Humility: You could be next
• Focus on systems: Not just individuals

Community Responsibility

• Create accountability structures: Not mob justice
• Support victims: Center their needs
• Allow growth: People can change
• Address harm: Without replicating it
• Build, don't just destroy: Create better alternatives

Cultural Shift

• From punishment to transformation
• From exile to accountability
• From mob to community
• From vengeance to justice
• From purity to humanity

Conclusion: Breaking the Cycle

The witch trials never really ended—they just moved online. And the cruelest irony is that witches, of all people, should know better than to engage in witch hunts.

Key insights:

• Real accountability is necessary for real harm
• Cancel culture often mirrors witch trials
• Mob justice is not justice
• People are complex, situations are nuanced
• Punishment without redemption is cruelty
• We can do better than replicating oppression
• Transformative justice is possible
• Community requires compassion, not just callouts

Hold people accountable. Protect your community. Address harm. But do it with humanity, nuance, and the understanding that we're all capable of both harm and growth.

Don't become the witch hunters. Be the witches who survived them—and learned that justice requires more than a mob and an accusation.

NICOLE LAU is a researcher and writer specializing in Western esotericism, Jungian psychology, and comparative mysticism. She is the author of the Western Esoteric Classics series and New Age Spirituality series.