A recent documentary on Sky made for chilling viewing, as it sought to explain the timeline that gave Andrew Tate a platform. "Doom Scroll: Andrew Tate and the Dark Side of the Internet" took us through the history of social media's exponential rise, and how the law simply hasn't kept up with it.
As we were told at the start, Andrew Tate is not an accident. His profile has been carefully crafted and honed over the years, and he's very skilled at saying outrageous things that appeals to his audience, who willingly share his rants so that they reach new eyeballs. Personally, I find him a ridiculous figure, but this documentary shed some light into the misogyny and violent rhetoric that is seeping onto smartphones, like sewage being churned into the River Tame.
If I had kids, I would be really worried if they were watching anything produced by this bloke. I feel increasingly that social media is a swamp, and trades on fear of others. One could argue a certain vote in 2016 was fuelled by the same thing, along with much misinformation written on the side of a bus. In the recent election campaign, social media barely merited a mention, but arguably led to the rise of Donald Trump, the Capitol riots and the Brexit referendum result, to name a couple of things. Sensible discussion barely happens on X, formerly Twitter, and the smallest thing can quickly descend into personal insults, open racism, and death threats.
Broadcasters and print journalists who work for 'traditional media' are incredibly tightly regulated, and during an election campaign, we can literally only say that the polling stations are open. Anything else leads to a full list of the candidates standing having to be read out, and accusations of bias are never too far away. Not so on social media, which is like the Wild West.
Take the recent example of the Princess of Wales and her cancer diagnosis. I admit I got a little bit sucked into a black hole of conspiracy theories for a couple of days around accusations of photoshopped images, before her illness was disclosed, and felt incredibly small and stupid when she made that eloquent statement on a Friday night as I drove to the chippy.
Recent unrest in Southport was streamed live on social media, and there was a celebratory tone to a lot of it. Given several innocent children lost their lives this week, how can more violence possibly be the answer?
I can't understand how folk can't see through the likes of Andrew Tate, and I do wonder where attention seekers of his ilk espoused their bile before social media existed. Perhaps the whole thing should be switched off for a bit. Cold turkey might be the only answer.
There are good stories around amongst the horror, mind. Following the abhorrent, violent attack on a Taylor Swift-inspired dance class on Monday, a couple of 'Swifties' who run a fan Facebook page got together and set up a JustGiving page, which at the time of writing has amassed well over £100,000 for Alder Hey Children's Hospital, who treated many of the victims. Donations range from big to small, and Taylor Swift herself even posted a handwritten note in Instagram expressing her sorrow about what happened.
Whilst this fundraising was going on, Andrew Tate was busy tweeting false information about the 'attacker'. Merseyside Police have urged people not to comment on social media, and let their investigation run its course. I understand feelings are running high, and can't imagine what the families of the victims are going through. But I fail to understand how throwing bricks at a mosque or setting the streets alight can ever be justified. The far right specialise in attracting people to their cause by exploiting grief and anger. Tinder box dry conditions are ideal for them. All they have to do is encourage others to light the touch paper. Have we learned nothing from history?
I'd recommend every parent watch the Tate documentary, and then check what your children are watching on their phones. Perhaps go out for a walk on the beach instead, and leave the phone at home. The Tate documentary looked at the use of 'cultural wedge issues' by his like to stir things up. We need a more intelligent level of debate to avoid this country descending into being a total skip fire.
Give Doom Scroll a watch if you have Sky. It's pretty fascinating and scary stuff.
Alex B Cann column: Should we have the right to switch off?
