Neutral examines the advantages and consequences of living in a technological world and begins to explore what our world may look like in the future.
Andrew Tate, Youth Culture and Social Media
By Holly Barker
Due to the current expansion of social media platforms, proliferation adds to issues surrounding safety, influence, and legitimacy.
Richard and Couchot-Schinex wrote about how perhaps in our postmodern world, and even during fourth-wave feminism, cyberspace has allowed for the growth of cyberbullying and the spread of pejorative attitudes concerning a person’s gender or sexuality. In 2020 they wrote that some people, who wish to galvanise hate and division with regard to gender, ‘disproportionately target youth who are seen as the most removed from idealised forms of masculinity or femininity’.
One of the most well-known influencers who has caught the attention of youths regarding gender and sexuality within the last few years is Andrew Tate. Tate, an ex-kickboxer, has created divisive content since around 2009. He has since gained notoriety as a hatemongering and lawbreaking figure who has, nonetheless, retained a dedicated fanbase. Tate proclaims to be the leader of the ‘Alpha Male Movement’ and its toxic ideology. This movement has caught the attention of many social media users and not all for good reasons. Tate has released podcast videos on platforms such as TikTok, which is heavily popular amongst Gen Z. His toxicity can be commonly seen in the videos he posts on social media, where he makes statements such as “Women are f***ing backwards”. These abusive videos have been estimated to have garnered almost 1.5 billion views on TikTok.
Tate has the ability to use micro-media formats to spread macro-abuse. His Twitter posts are usually between 5-20 words, making it easier for audiences to understand the message quickly and share it. The way in which his TikTok videos are made also could have an impact; the message he is trying to convey is usually spoken within the first 10 seconds of his one-minute videos. Again, this makes it easier for the audience to understand his message and be interested and tempted to watch more, even if his video catches attention for objectionable reasons. His controversial comments that are still live on Twitter include, “Men go through so much pain that they will never talk about it because they know that nobody cares” (2022). The noun ‘men’ is the first word in his post, linking to how he uses gender and sexuality as a way of catching the attention of an audience. This statement has over three hundred thousand likes. This message could have been seen by anybody of any age or gender, and could have detrimental impacts. The mental health crisis has become an epidemic in society, and for men to believe that nobody cares about their feelings could impact societal ideologies and make them believe they shouldn’t speak out. Although Tate has been a successful businessman over the last few years, he doesn’t have evidence or proof that his statements are true. He is potentially spreading harmful messages surrounding gender and sexuality to large audiences, and in doing so presents himself under the guise of a successful entrepreneur and leader. What is of the utmost concern is the fact that people can reshare tweets and videos on Twitter, which allows these messages to be spread across the globe at a remarkable pace, monopolising social media’s position of Freedom. X (formerly Twitter) states that their policy is dedicated to ‘defending and respecting the user’s voice […] This value is a two-part commitment to freedom of expression’.
What is also concerning is the statistic of users who have watched Tate’s reshared TikTok content. Maya Oppenheim stated in The Independent in 2023 that ‘Polling finds eight in 10 teenage boys have watched Tate’s content.’ One of his statements was “Imagine being a normal dude who likes football and now you’re forced to be a massive advocate for homosexuality” (2022). Firstly, the adjective ‘normal’ to describe a man who isn’t within the LGBTQ+ community or a man who likes football is very concerning. For a boy, teenager, or man to believe this scaremongering could be damaging and of course further marginalises those coming to terms with their own sexuality in what one would hope to believe is a more tolerant society.
In Henry Jenkins, Joshua Green, and Sam Ford’s book Spreadable Media (2013), digital content and ‘spreadable media’ is discussed. They state, ‘Successful creators understand the strategic and technical aspects they need to master in order to create content more likely to spread […and] build relationships with the communities shaping its circulation’ (p.196). What is so vital about this quotation is that Tate may in fact know how to use social media to his advantage and then how to form communities, ironically giving some a sense of belonging that is bonded by division and hatred.
At the time of writing, Tate is currently being retained in Romania after he and his brother Tristan were charged in June 2023 with rape and human trafficking. His views and flagrant toxicity may not have broken some rules of social media platforms, but his alleged actions have resulted in material consequences. However, influencers by their nature have influence, and the damage that he has caused to many remains to be seen in full.