Social media has provided users with the opportunity to connect with and view cultures, people, and ideologies from around the world. Uncle Ben once said, “With great power, comes great responsibility,” and Generation Z is beginning to learn what that means with regards to social media. With new movements such as “cancel culture,” people of all ages are trying to figure out if the world has “gone soft,” or just become more accepting.
With social media becoming a bigger aspect of our daily lives, men and women have begun forming careers on these platforms, known as influencers. With influencers becoming more common, people have formed strong opinions of them; as they have built followings of millions. Most recent to the scene, Andrew Tate, has become a near overnight sensation. Tate built a following by voicing his opinion on masculinity, and the necessary traits he believes they must have. Having a background in kickboxing, and winning 17/19 matches, he has formed a very strong opinion on what being a strong man is and has freely voiced his opinion on the matter.
Along with masculinity, Tate has taken a very strong stance on the “woke culture,” and how it is killing both American culture and the ability to take a stand for your beliefs. Ironically, Tate has fallen victim to “cancel culture.” Over the past week, he has been de-platformed from sites such as TikTok, Facebook, and YouTube, leading him and his followers to attack these companies via social media.
Tate is not one of the only celebrities in the mixed martial arts world. Joe Rogan, a UFC commentator and host of The Joe Rogan Experience (JRE), was “canceled” last December, due to controversial comments surrounding the CoronaVirus. Just like every episode throughout his career, Episode 1757 of his podcast contained a guest speaker. During this episode, Dr. Robert Malone, a biochemist focused on mRNA, was asked to speak on Covid-19, beginning the controversy. Dr. Malone claimed that “masks were used to promote fear.” This claim resulted in many celebrities and fans calling for his removal from Spotify. The most notable was Neil Young, who threatened to pull his music if Rogan was not removed. However, Spotify stood with Rogan, and Young’s music was pulled off Spotify.
As a result of both these men falling victim to “cancel culture,” neither of their brands have been destroyed, but strengthened. Andrew Tate has been seen flying on private jets and “flexing” on the people who canceled him. Along with the jets and Bugattis he has shown off to haters and followers, Tate has also made a name in the YouTube boxing world, hoping to find matches against Jake Paul and KSI. As we have seen throughout this era, Tate has since seen a follower uprisings on sites such as Gettr and Rumble. As for Rogan, he claims that he has seen 2 million more listeners on his Spotify exclusive podcast, while his brand has grown and his daily listeners continue to rise.
With the growth of social media, new groups have formed, and division has been put on a pedestal. The battle between right vs wrong, woke vs traditional, and sensitive vs thick-skinned people rages on.
Not yet do we know which will win, but groups on both sides have continued to gain support, and a collapse of social media seems evident.