A study conducted by The Pennsylvania State University found that social media influencers have polarized voters into thinking and voting more extremely, which starts to raise questions.
When scrolling on social media, most short-form videos that you see on platforms like TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, etc., usually consist of seconds-long content with an eye-catching title or caption. Over the years, our attention spans have gotten smaller and smaller, which is why TikTok videos are many people’s favorite content to consume.
Gloria Mark, Ph.D., of the American Psychological Association said the average attention span on any screen in 2004 was found to be two and a half minutes. As of 2023, Mark said the average was about 47 seconds.
Because of this shortened attention span, these creators, or influencers, aim to make videos the most interesting or shocking they can.
With the rise of politics taking over social media feeds, most political commentary is less informative and revolves around debate and conflict, rather than finding solutions.
According to the Pew Research Center, 1 in 5 (21%) of adults say they regularly get information from news influencers on social media. This form of receiving information has changed the scope of news over the last few years, leading many to question just how credible their news sources are.
With the exception of reputable news outlets reporting on events from an unbiased perspective, it appears that most political content we consume from social media contributes to more divisiveness.
It’s not only one-sided either; this type of platform exists from many different perspectives.
Myron Gaines, who was recently at Ohio University’s Athens campus, visits college campuses and engages in “conversations” with students. However, these “conversations” are less of a respectful banter and more of an intimidation or humiliation ritual.
These debates don’t appear to be constructive; these interactions are recorded, and the parts where the students ask questions or engage in debate are clipped to where the speaker is “owning” or “winning” the conversation.
The issue with this type of posting is that the clips are manufactured, and the parts that the influencer wants to be seen are posted. According to Forbes, this type of misleading content could be considered a cheap fake.
This type of influencer also relies on saying the most out-there and shocking ideas and waiting for people to post them, building their fame. The Cambridge Dictionary describes this as clip-farming. Whether it’s good press or bad, it doesn’t matter to the creator; they have a goal of collecting views, not a good reputation.
According to the Stanford Report, for these creators, “all publicity is good publicity: it doesn’t really matter whether the engagement is positive or negative, as long as users watch their content and interact with it through comments and shares to ensure maximum visibility on platforms.”
These creators usually have an incentive in creating this content, whether it’s for fame, money, power or all of the above. It isn’t usually for the morally good reasons.
These political influencers attract a pretty big following, and their supporters usually become pretty passionate about these beliefs. Figures like Gaines, who preach ideas of extreme misogyny and antisemitism, have gained a cult following of like-minded individuals. This belief system — constructed of hate — is extremely dangerous.
According to the United Nations, hate speech is often a "precursor to atrocity crimes.” When this type of language is spewed senselessly online or in-person, it only leads to a more hateful and divided population.
Gaines’ platform is mostly structured around promoting “red pill” ideologies, which are part of the manosphere, promoting the idea that modern society oppresses men. It advocates for the "awakening" to the “reality” that women are manipulative, and that men must reclaim dominance.
In video footage from his time on campus, Gaines starts off by promoting his book, published in 2023, “Why Women Deserve Less.” According to Amazon, he is a #1 best-selling author.
The fact that Gaines has become such a prominent figure that so many people purchased his book is concerning enough, proving that he does have a powerful influence.
Regardless of what side of the political sphere you are on, allowing political influencers to hold that much power is worrying. Whether they are presenting facts, opinions or both, you shouldn’t rely on just anyone with a social media following for credible news.
Should you consume this type of content online, you should fact-check it before blindly reposting or believing it. Social media and the internet are places to express your views, and we as Americans should have the right to free speech.
However, it’s important to remember these influencers may not have best interests at heart, with a separate agenda to attain views or fame. The majority of the time, they are only interested in doing whatever it takes to make you angry and engage with their content.
When political activists lead with a sense of power and have such a large influence on their followers, it increases the possibility of hate and violence, which I think we could all use a little less of these days.
Hadley is a junior studying strategic communications at Ohio University. Please note the opinions expressed in this column do not represent those of The Post. Want to talk to Hadley about their column? Email them at hl526522@ohio.edu.
