In the new age of mass media, social media platforms like YouTube, TikTok, Meta (Formally Facebook) and X (Formally Twitter) have evolved from chatrooms and picture-sharing, to becoming the primary hub of public discourse and discussion. In addition, they have seemingly all transitioned away from chronological feeds, instead relying on algorithms that prioritize engagement over all else.
The Pipeline Effect−where seemingly harmless content gradually influences viewers toward extremist beliefs−has become an alarming phenomenon with real-world consequences. These platforms and algorithms have become breeding grounds for pushing far-right ideology, primarily targeting young men−manifested in the rise of popular influencers like Andrew Tate, Ben Shapiro, Joe Rogan, and Jordan Peterson, among others, whose success clearly reflects how the Pipeline Effect takes hold, how outrage-content fuels engagement and popularity, and how the profitizatiton of this industry is dangerous for everybody.
At the core of all of this, we have the social media platforms, and the way they operate. Anymore, algorithms prioritize engagement over all else, which has changed from their previous models−based on chronological order or who you follow. This means that content that provokes strong reactions from people−in this case, often anger, frustration, or controversy−will reach a far larger audience than other content. Some may say, ‘This makes sense! What’s popular should be what’s shown, right?’
The problem is that it’s not necessarily popular content that’s pushed, it’s just reactionary content. This leads to platforms filled with creators looking to create inflammatory content, seeing as they can monetize the outrage. Influencers like Andrew Tate, and other Alpha Male/Grindset/Motivation creators lure in young men with appeals to their masculinity, promise of wealth, dominance, and power, all initially under the disguise of self-help, or motivation. Once hooked, users are often slowly led towards more extreme content, reinforcing sexist, racist, or other dismissing beliefs they may have.
Ben Shapiro uses a similar tactic, but masks his content with things like logic, debate, and intellectual superiority, possibly appealing to those who feel ostracized more so for their intelligence. When stumbling onto Jordan Peterson, a clinical psychologist, he comes across as a frail thinker−just worried about the loneliness of young men. He appeals to you, so you begin to watch his videos. You watch him debate college students−he uses a lot of big, academic words, and really pushes his emotion through when he talks. You’re probably not educated on logic, reason, debate, fallacies−so he seems smart, and he makes the students seem dumb, and you really like it.
Now his new video is just him talking to the camera, no challengers, and he talks about some far-right stuff. You don’t know this because you may not be well versed in politics; you haven’t heard of that issue, or that take on it. You may not understand where it lies on the political scale of your country, or how your country fares against the world.
However, Peterson is now somebody you see as appealing to you; somebody who is an intellectual, and who you should be able to trust for these issues. It can be fun to listen to Rogan and his friends talk about comedy, or a well-published researcher talk about something new to you−but it has ultimately led to millions tuning in every week while guests have promoted extreme views without challenge, making that kind of thinking seem normalized.
To combat this, social media platforms must be held accountable for the content that is posted. There should be a call for Congress to regulate algorithm recommendations, demonetization of harmful content, and a stronger push for media literacy to be taught to upcoming generations.
Additionally, there must be new spaces for men to engage in self-improvement without being preyed on by greedy influencers and CEOs, and morally corrupted politicians that fail to regulate this industry. Failing to do this will ultimately cause a, or many, future generations of young men to grow up with their worldviews shaped by outrage, domination, and division.
