The article analyzes the peculiarities of the phenomenon of cancel culture in politics and international relations using the methods of sociological analysis and conflict theory. The article considers the specificity of the cancel culture as an informal method of social control in social networks through mass mobilization. As a means of social control, the cancel culture can reduce the gap between stated values and social practices. Also cancel culture can be a tool for political struggle, competition and harassment for expressing opinions. The authors compare examples of the cancel culture in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Russia, which allows them to conclude that the scope and effectiveness of common action depends on the practice of responding to the violation of accepted norms and values, which, in turn, varies in a particular collective.

In politics and international relations, the cancel culture is a supplement to the actions of political institutions and states its main goal as undermining authority and reputation. It is also worth noting that in the political sphere, the cancel culture, being a means of informal control, follows formal sanctions. In international relations, there is no single political center and no single understanding of norms, which allows for a selective approach in choosing the means of influence. In this context, the cancel culture is a tool of political struggle.