Conference Paper Abstract 

 

 

The purpose of this paper is to discuss how Twitter has enabled controversial figures like Andrew Tate to manipulate echo chambers and online anonymity to gain a platform and form a community with them as the figurehead. Findings from various studies and journals support the case of echo chambers and anonymity amplifying controversy online, this results in a community forming around Tate as a spokesperson for a shared interest of a controversial nature, which can be difficult to find a community for in the real world.

 

Andrew Tate is an influencer whose online presence spans across several social media platforms. He is notorious for his controversial takes on already controversial issues. Although having a career as a kickboxer prior to becoming an influencer, much of Tate’s rise to fame can be attributed to his more recent endeavours on podcasts and, for the focus of this paper, on Twitter. Furthermore, his platform on Twitter can be attributed to his success in attracting like-minded individuals and creating a space for them to form a community around him through manipulating echo-chambers and anonymity as mentioned before.

 

 

The self-presentation and networked self of Andrew Tate

 

 

To understand why Andrew Tate has found success in establishing a Twitter community, it is important to understand his online identity. In the case of Tate, he presents himself as someone to aspire to, his demographic consists mainly of teenage boys and young men as well as a recent survey in the US finding that Tate is currently the most popular influencer among teenagers. (Taking Stock with Teens | Piper Sandler, 2022)

 

Individuals of this demographic could view Tate as a role model of sorts, with his added ‘Hustler’s University’ program which, according to the website, helps individuals to “better themselves financially and physically” (Hustlers University 4.0 – Experience Modern Wealth Creation, n.d.). A recent survey done by The Man Cave shows that 35% of boys relate to Tate and 25% of them look up to him as a role model. (The Man Cave | Facilitating Healthy Masculinity for Boys and Young Men., 2022) It is easy to see the appeal for young men to flock towards Tate, his networked self and – essentially -self-branding across multiple platforms such as Twitter, YouTube, and the Hustler’s University website presents a successful man.

 

To be successful as a controversial figure, one must embrace the fact that they are deemed controversial. To try and undermine this would make the public view you as both unlikeable for having these opinions but also as a coward for not firmly sticking to them. Tate succeeds at this as he is a self-proclaimed misogynist and embraces titles like “the king of toxic masculinity” given to him by admirers.

 

Tate’s presentation of self (Marwick & Boyd, 2011) can be described as promoting a pro-alpha-male rhetoric, he caters to traditionally masculine benchmarks of success such as wealth (and the display of it through a lavish lifestyle) and his prowess in pursuing women. This character he presents online, regardless of how closely it matches to his true personality, is one of the foundations of his online popularity. The second most prominent foundation is his expression of controversial opinions specifically on the topics of gender and gender roles. (Tate, 2022a & 2022b)

 

It is with these opinions that Tate has gained infamy as a controversial figure and where majority of the concern surrounding his popularity lies. Many of his supporters feel that he is brave and confident enough to say what others might be thinking but too afraid to say, this is where Twitter and the community built around Tate come into play.

 

 

Community formed around Andrew Tate

 

 

The defining factor for the community that has been formed around Andrew Tate is individuals relating to Tate’s opinions and striving to achieve his lifestyle. Tate takes advantage of the parasocial relationships (a term coined by Donald Horton and Richard Wohl in 1956) his fans have formed with him as well as the ease of interaction on Twitter to make his fans feel like they ‘belong’ in his space.

 

One way Tate achieves this sense of belonging amongst his fans is through liking and retweeting tweets shared by fans that praise him. This encourages fans to share positive tweets about Tate in hopes of being noticed by him, he rewards loyalty and admiration. Another method Tate adopts in fostering this parasocial bond is by giving his fans a name, many celebrities and influencers have adopted this practice to make their community feel more personalised, recognised, and somewhat exclusive, such as Taylor Swift’s “Swifties” or Lady Gaga’s “Little monsters”. It extends the community from being more than just an online space, to becoming an identity. Tate’s fans are called ‘Hustlers’ stemming from his Hustler’s University program. The community is further deepened using hashtags to start or maintain a conversation around certain topics regarding Tate and his dealings. These hashtags also allow community members to find each other and interact with each other’s posts, one of the most popular hashtags revolving around Tate is #TopG.

 

The idea of a persistent community is also enticing to many, having a virtual place that will be there regardless of where the individual is physically. (Hampton & Wellman, 2018) This allows members of the community to foster relationships across the globe and find others who share their worldview. This is especially relevant when the common belief shared by these individuals can be highly scrutinised in other spheres as they centre around this controversial figurehead.

 

Another aspect that fosters this community stems from a concept proposed by sociologist Ray Oldenburg called the third place. (Oldenburg, 2005) A place where structural hierarchies often found in other aspects of life, such as work or school, no longer exist and all individuals participate on an equal level. Twitter acts as a third place for individuals of a community from all walks of life to come together, this allows individuals to feel seen and heard, especially when others begin to interact with what the individual posts.

 

Twitter and other forms of social media have allowed users to transform into prosumers, a term coined by Alvin Toffler in the 1980s. (Toffler, 1980) The combination of being a consumer and a producer enables twitter users to contribute actively and passively within their chosen communities. In the case of Andrew Tate and many other influencers, this means that their followers assist in the production of content. Tate’s tweets are often retweets of videos or tweets made by his followers, which he can then share as content. This is beneficial in two ways, firstly it once again reinforces the parasocial relationship through Tate’s interactions with his followers’ posts and secondly, it allows Tate to share content with his followers that he doesn’t necessarily need to create.

 

Through interacting with and sharing each other’s posts, the members of this online community knowingly, or unknowingly, manipulate the algorithm to present them with more content of a similar nature.

 

 

Echo-chambers and anonymity on Twitter

 

 

Algorithms, specifically Twitter algorithms, are designed to show users content that they might like based on the type of content they’ve interacted with in the past as well as users they interact with. (Cinelli et al., 2021) This can be both beneficial and detrimental as only showing content that users like or otherwise agree with can create an echo chamber.

 

The notion of a persistent community of like-minded individuals supporting one another’s beliefs rather than challenging them can cause unease in cases where controversy is involved as there lies a greater opportunity to be radicalised to more extremist beliefs. (Von Behr et al., 2013) Andrew Tate’s following can be categorised into sub-communities, those who admire him for his motivational content and for inspiring young men to work harder to be better. The second group subscribe to the more niche and controversial aspects of Tate’s fame, such as the self-proclaimed misogyny and comments on gender roles.

 

The separation of these groups is important when considering the opportunity for radicalisation as the second group is more likely to succumb. Alongside online anonymity, this second group of individuals further form community in sharing opinions that are considered distasteful in the real world, further deepening the sense of understanding and belonging.

 

Echo chambers not only keep those with similar views and opinions within a metaphorical bubble, but it also keeps those who oppose this view out. In doing so, an apparent exclusivity to the online community forms. This exclusivity further encourages the support of controversial views as there seems to be no opposition, it is hidden from the community.

 

Online anonymity is another factor in how communities enable the rise of figureheads like Andrew Tate. Many people are wary of sharing their controversial beliefs in fear of being ostracised or cast aside from society. However, with the ability to remain anonymous this fear is alleviated, and individuals are allowed to participate freely within these communities while remaining networked individuals and form parts of other communities where they may not have otherwise been accepted had their opinions been known.

 

This social rejection forms part of a larger ‘cancel culture’ which is rampant in today’s digital age, where if individuals don’t behave to a certain standard they get ‘cancelled’ or cast out from communities that oppose that behaviour or belief. (Clark, 2020)

 

The freedom from the fear of being cancelled allows for individuals to share their opinions online more freely, (Zhang & Kizilcec, 2014) and with this, individuals find each other and form communities – as previously discussed. Anonymity is easily attainable on social media platforms such as Twitter, as a user can choose any name and profile picture for themselves and can choose to post as much or as little identifying information about themselves as they would like. The user can even go as far as signing up with a completely different email to their regular one.

 

 

Conclusion

 

 

While social media platforms like Twitter are beneficial in forming and becoming part of communities that would otherwise not be feasible in the real world. It is important to remain mindful of how and why content is presented and how the formation of and participation in these communities can affect the information or misinformation presented to the user.

 

It is also important to consider how individuals behave once they can no longer be identified and how this anonymity lends itself into perpetuating controversy in a manner that protects the networked individual, and how communal anonymity can bestow a controversial figurehead with an online platform.

 

Communities are important in fostering a sense of belonging in an individual, but the drawbacks of surrounding oneself with those who share similar views, without room for opposition, should be considered as well.

References

 

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92. Clark, M. (2020). DRAG THEM: a Brief Etymology of So-Called “Cancel Culture.” Communication and the Public, 5(3-4), 88–92. https://doi.org/10.1177/2057047320961562

Hampton, K. N., & Wellman, B. (2018). Lost and Saved . . . Again: The Moral Panic about the Loss of Community Takes Hold of Social Media. Contemporary Sociology: A Journal of Reviews, 47(6), 643–651. https://doi.org/10.1177/0094306118805415

Hustlers University 4.0 – Experience Modern Wealth Creation. (n.d.). Tateshustlers.com. https://tateshustlers.com/

Marwick, A., & boyd, danah. (2011). To See and Be Seen: Celebrity Practice on Twitter. Convergence: The International Journal of Research into New Media Technologies, 17(2), 139–158. https://doi.org/10.1177/1354856510394539

Oldenburg, R. (2005). The great good place : cafés, coffee shops, bookstores, bars, hair salons, and other hangouts at the heart of a community. Da Capo Press.

Taking Stock With Teens | Piper Sandler. (2022). Www.pipersandler.com. https://www.pipersandler.com/teens

The Man Cave | Facilitating healthy masculinity for boys and young men. (2022). The Man Cave | Facilitating Healthy Masculinity for Boys and Young Men. https://themancave.life/andrew-tate-report/

Tate, A. [@Cobratate]. (2022a, Dec 15). If a girl follows me and shes hot and I see a SINGLE picture of her in a private jet its BLOCK. Women cant afford jets. Women are all brokies. Why are you flying around on some mans jet? You should have been a virgin when I met you. HARAM. [Tweet]. Twitter. https://twitter.com/cobratate/status/1603026678904770561?s=46&t=FRUX3uYodBhGbYzot1ObWg

Tate, A. [@Cobratate]. (2022b, Dec 2).  I dont sleep with vaccinated women. [Tweet]. Twitter. https://twitter.com/cobratate/status/1598610061726810114?s=46&t=FRUX3uYodBhGbYzot1ObWg

Toffler, A. (1980). The Third Wave. Bantam Books.

Von Behr, I., Reding, A., Edwards, C., & Gribbon, L. (2013). Radicalisation in the digital era The use of the internet in 15 cases of terrorism and extremism. In RAND.com. https://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/research_reports/RR400/RR453/RAND_RR453.sum.pdf

Zhang, K., & Kizilcec, R. F. (2014). Anonymity in Social Media: Effects of Content Controversiality and Social Endorsement on Sharing Behavior. In ResearchGate. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/283053701_Anonymity_in_Social_Media_Effects_of_Content_Controversiality_and_Social_Endorsement_on_Sharing_Behavior