Deplatforming

Etymology

A recent coinage (2010s), "de-" (removal) prefixed to "platform" in its media sense of a stage for speech. Its rise as a word tracks the moment when the "platform" became the scarce, controllable resource, not the message.

noun · /dee-PLAT-form-ing/
The removal of a person or group’s access to a venue or service used to broadcast their views.
What it names
A specific lever of power — cutting off distribution rather than rebutting content — that only became decisive once a few platforms controlled most reach.
Example
Deplatforming the account cut its daily reach from millions to the few thousand who followed it to a fringe site.
Related idea
Deplatforming is a concrete action by a service that controls access; cancel culture is the looser social phenomenon of collective withdrawal of support, which may or may not include any deplatforming.