NOTE FROM THE EDITOR: Here at Hollr, the younger generation's opinions matter.
Here is our content writer Ellie's opinion on misogyny, corruption and the impacts of social media.
Misogyny is a value held not by the masses, but by ringleaders of hatred and bigotry. Ringleaders like Andrew Tate.
Tate was a contestant on Big Brother 2016, until harrowing footage was found of him striking a woman with a belt.
He recently had his social media platforms taken down. Platforms that revolved around threatening and demeaning women. However, at this point he was already reaching over 4 million users. Many of which are young and impressionable.
He argues that women are a man’s property claiming, in a since deleted Youtube video, that “about 40 per cent” of the reason he moved to Romania is because he believed Eastern European police were less likely to pursue allegations of rape.
Social media culture makes it simple to spread hate and puts bigots like Andrew Tate in positions of power. This can influence younger audiences and corrupt their values.
Just because Tate's platform has been taken down does not mean the issue is solved. There will still be more people just like him actively spreading negativity online.
Question: Is there any way to stop the recurring promotion of toxic masculinity and therefore the subsequent misogyny that bleeds from it?
We have seen this pipeline before, with misogyny swarming from corners of the internet like Reddit, and the ever-controversial 4chan.
21st century women live in, quite honestly, a hateful world. Where female empowerment breeds, so does male criticism. As decades pass, it seems women are still treated as appendages to their male counterparts.
Social media is a cesspit of impressionable young people, eager to be influenced. With people like Andrew Tate and Keemstar, perhaps it is no surprise that misogyny is still ever-present.
The scariest part about Tate’s social presence is that he was not concerned about bad publicity or a bad reputation. He had no reason to be. His cult following is loyal.
Tate’s impact reflects that of Hunter Moore: subject of Netflix’s ‘The Most Hated Man on the Internet’ and creator of revenge porn website IsAnyoneUp.com. Moore, like Tate, boasted about bad publicity and even referred to himself as a “professional life ruiner”.
These men, and countless others, are often put on a pedestal on social media and gain intensely loyal followings. They subsequently influence younger followers to share their misogynistic views.
So it begs the question: should social media platforms allow problematic men like Andrew Tate to have a voice?
Let us know your thoughts.