What Does It Mean to Be Canceled? “To me, it’s ultimately an expression of agency,” said Meredith Clark, a professor at the University of Virginia’s department of media studies. “To a certain extent: I really do think of it like a breakup and a taking back of one’s power.” Canceling, she said, is an act of withdrawing from someone whose expression — whether political, artistic or otherwise — was once welcome or at least tolerated, but no longer is.