Amidst an internet showdown at the end of 2022 between Andrew Tate (former kickboxer) and Greta Thunberg (Swedish climate activist), the former got detained by the Romanian police on grave charges of human trafficking, rape and forming a crime group. The controversial influencer had tweeted about the emissions of his luxury cars and called out Greta on the social media platform Twitter. When Greta replied sarcastically, Andrew Tate released a video talking down to her and asking her to “get a life”. However, the video featured a pizza box which the police traced back to Tate’s location. Quite recently, the police seized some of the luxury cars he had bragged about in the initial tweet.
The question arises – Is the world in the hands of the wrong influencers? With a mobile phone in everybody’s hands and easily acquired internet connections, the world is interconnected and globalised (but, at what cost?). Today, we spend a fair amount of time on social media. A portion of that is spent on social media “influencers”. We consume their content and gradually get emotionally attached to them. In the vicious circle, as the attachment grows, so does the consumption of the content they create. Psychologists Donald Horton and Richard Wohl called this a “parasocial relationship” which refers to a one-sided relationship where one party (consumers of mass media) spends their time, money and energy and the other is conveniently unaware of the former’s existence.
In a world ruled by social media, parasocial relationships are easily formed. However, sometimes the extent to which they are formed defies rationality and followers get so attached that they defend the influencer in every situation and at any cost. They see the influencer as an integral part of their own personality and take any criticism of the influencer as a personal attack. Particularly prone to this phenomenon is the adolescent population so integrally connected to technology that they view it as a vital part of their life. Sometimes, they start following influencers due to peer pressure and in an attempt to “look cool”. Their impressionable minds are easily swayed and for them, their love for social media and its personalities becomes primary.
So, what happens when the influencer is a misogynist, sexist, rapist, violent, oppressive, chauvinistic, communal or possesses any ‘criminal’ attributes? Thousands or in some cases, millions of emotionally attached followers defend their actions in a poor attempt to legitimise them. Andrew Tate is one of the countless influencers to gain public attention and make it to the headlines of the international news while on the other hand, the moral compass of the world collectively goes downhill. Young generations learn to imitate these influencers or even worse, put them on a pedestal and worship them. It is important to note that most public personalities don’t display their actual convictions till they have gained a substantial public following.
For example, Andrew Tate initially made numerous videos about business strategies, becoming rich, and fitness which resonated with many young people, especially young men, who began looking up to him so much so that he emerged as the most googled person last year. The problem commences when the followers become so attached that they take any words (even extreme views) uttered by the influencer as gospel. Extreme comments made by social media personalities are brushed off as jokes by their followers which worsens the entire situation. Such influencers desperately cling to the status quo of society and their hate comments perpetuate hate crimes and fanaticism. Andrew Tate, the embodiment of toxic masculinity, has openly made several bigoted comments justifying rape and violence against women. He notoriously remarked that “women are responsible for their rapes” and “a woman is a man’s property”. Such an attitude propounds misogynist attitudes among the followers.
The situation seems bleak but all is not lost. Social media also remains an important platform for gaining information, news, and education apart from entertainment. Activists and “influencers” engaged with working for the environment, women, children, religious minorities, lower castes, refugees etc., disseminate valuable information through social media to reach a wider audience. Social media personalities also converse about political issues and educate voters on their rights and duties. They initiate much-needed dialogues on traditionally not-discussed topics such as women’s menstrual health, body issues, domestic abuse, mental health and sex education. Further, many “influencers” have faced public outrage, backlash and shame for their controversial opinions and in the worst cases, have been banned from public platforms due to efforts of concerned citizens towards making online spaces safe for everyone.
According to data, approximately 4 billion people actively use social media which means that it impacts people’s lives and opinions extensively. It is highly critical that “influencers” who spread contentious and maniacal ideas within society are held accountable for their actions. They need to face consequences for their bigotry or else, social media and by extension, the real world would become increasingly perilous.
Written by Kashvi
Edited by Labdhi Shah