The Andrew Tate case: why misogynists are so successful on social media

Online platforms such as Tiktok, Instagram or Youtube have hardly been able to get around a name in recent weeks: Andrew Tate. Clips from his podcasts appeared in your own feed, or other content creators reacted to his statements – it was hard to avoid the new face of the so-called “men’s rights movement”.

In late August, the former kickboxer was subsequently banned from Instagram, Facebook, Tiktok, YouTube and finally from Twitter for violating the platforms’ hate speech guidelines. He had, among other things, distributed misogynistic and right-wing content. But his statements continue to circulate online and are shared by his fans. And he is just one of many so-called hate influencers.

But what drives young men in particular to embrace these predominantly right-wing ideologies?

Sahana Udupa is an expert on online misogyny and co-leader of a project on online misogyny funded by the Bavarian Institute for Digital Transformation. In an interview with Watson, she explains how followers of the “Manosphere” tick — and what you can do about it.

Watson: Why have people like Andrew Tate been so successful lately?
Sahana Udupa: The appeal of such actors or “hate influencers” is that they use rhetorical devices that resonate with young users. People like Tate seem very modern. They address young people in the language they know. I also notice that Tate describes himself as funny and in turn makes fun of people who criticize him. In addition, he confuses people with some mixed messages.

How?
First, he says he supports women who are dealing with domestic violence. In another video, he says he helps men with mental health problems. And he calls his opponents hate speech. So he tries to take a very high moral stand by manipulating rhetoric. This leaves users with a level of confusion that could be called cognitive dissonance. Creating this kind of dissonance is an established strategy of disinformation campaigns.

How does content like Andrew Tate’s work?
The content is conveyed as playful and only semi-serious. People who reject this kind of so-called humor are labeled as people who don’t understand the jokes. There is a special term for these people: «Normies». Offenders like to be rude, insult people, aggressively shame and even attack women and other groups online. Fun is a very important part of right-wing culture and social media has certainly helped people enjoy this kind of offensive content.

Who are the senders of these extreme statements?
First, there are right-wing groups in North America and Europe. Many of them are also associated with the white supremacists. They have opaque but extremely active networks. Gender-based harassment and nationalism are also rife online in countries like Brazil and India. In addition, there is a subculture that is known by different names. Sometimes it becomes “Manosphere”, “Men going their own way” or “Involuntarily celibate”. or “Incel” for short. All these different groups are telling the world and especially themselves that they are the victims and that they are being manipulated by the women.

Where does her misogyny come from?
They attack women in public because, first of all, they feel that women make them powerless or even enslaved. Secondly, because they stand up for liberal, progressive values ​​and thirdly, because these women sometimes also have a migrant background.

How do social media help representatives of the “Manosphere” to reach such a large audience?
Actors like Tate can connect with young users. Some of their confusing, mixed messages is also due to their attempt to bypass filters on content from social media platforms.

Can the actors do it?
Tate is currently banned from multiple platforms. Many social media platforms have banned similar profiles. But it’s not that they’re disappearing, they’re migrating to smaller platforms. On Reddit, 4chan and Vcontact, they want to win back their audience and try to get back on major platforms. And even local apps now register exactly this kind of content. It is very difficult to regulate this.

So a ban won’t stop the “hate influencers”?
It helps reduce the impact of their influence. However, they have developed the ability to migrate and get news from the lockdown. They say, “Hey, I’m banned, I’m the victim here.” The history of victimhood is very important in right-wing movements. This also applies to misogynistic practices because they genuinely believe they are the victims of a conspiracy by women who want to downplay them.

How can you support young people so that they are not influenced by these ideologies?
The intervention should already take place at school level, but certainly at university level. Tate himself offers an online course he calls “Hustler’s University.” These people compete with real educational institutions for the space of knowledge. There is a vast alternate universe of what they call knowledge. It is therefore important that higher education also responds to this.

How can you prevent such misogynistic messages?
Including through regulatory measures. Cross-platform collaboration is absolutely crucial. A regulation should create a mechanism to allow platforms to work together and share information in this area. It is therefore about coordinated actions across different social media platforms.

What are the psychological consequences if young people expose themselves to this content and messages?
Women fall victim to this “humorous”, misogynistic content, there are even threats of rape and extreme abuse. Sometimes doxing also occurs (Noted. Red Publication of personal data, usually with malicious intent towards those affected. Source: Wikipedia). So there are different types of online abuse that women are exposed to. All the women I’ve spoken to clearly feel burdened by this. It’s also about the energy they need to block the profiles and messages. That requires a lot of effort.

How do these women deal with it?
Some of them have developed some resilience and good coping skills. But some women can’t and couldn’t deal with it, such as the death of Austrian GP Dr. Kellermayr has shown. She became a target for some anti-vaxxers (Noted. Red. Vaccination opponents).