As you might have heard, the infamous kickboxer turned social media influencer has been kicked off of various social media platforms, including TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook. An August 2022 article from The New York Times states that before his account was deleted, his Instagram had around 4.6 million followers, and around 740,000 subscribers on YouTube.
Andrew Tate was known for the misogynistic rhetoric he would consistently share on social media. During an interview with The Mirror, Tate said “Why would you be with a woman who’s not a virgin anyway? She is a used goods. Second hand.”.
Tate has also been investigated for abuse allegations, during which time he said in The Guardian, “I’m not a rapist, but I like the idea of just being able to do what I want. I like being free.”.
Many of the videos posted to his social media accounts have similar misogynistic views, so why were so many people out there agreeing with him? While it is easy enough for us to see what is wrong with the messages he puts out, Andrew Tate has created an army of insecure men by exploiting their anger and lack of self-confidence.
This tactic of recruiting used is what I will call the misogynistic pipeline that Tate has created.
On platforms like TikTok and Instagram, it is easy to watch videos from creators that you do not already follow. This is how Tate gets his videos pushed out to various new audiences.
In an attempt to validate his point, his videos usually start by saying something easy to agree with–like, “it is wrong for a woman to cheat.” Now most of us would agree, that it is wrong for anyone to cheat. However, after his audience begins to accept his first point, he will add a snide and harmful remark at the end.
By doing this, Tate slowly slips his harmful rhetoric into the beliefs of his viewers.
This is another important one of the tactics he uses to create an audience. He knows the kinds of viewers he gets and knows how to get them to accept what he has to say as gospel.
The first type of viewer is the people you would expect to follow along with his rhetoric; the people who would already agree with his outlandish claims, and do not have to be manipulated into thinking the same way. This viewer goes out of their way to seek out viewpoints similar to their own.
The second type of viewer is the younger crowd, or the easily manipulated. This viewer is likely in middle or high school and has likely fallen down the internet rabbit hole of the Alt-Right pipeline. These young boys are the new generation of Andrew Tate listeners. They view him as everything they have been told they need to be–strong, brave, and manly. As a result of their admiration for him and what they believe he stands for, they will soak up everything that he says and repeat it, because, in their eyes, they want to be just like him.
People–like the younger audience–who are more susceptible to persuasion, will be more likely to fall victim to the tactics he uses to reach audiences. Since they view him in such a positive light, it doesn’t matter how bad something is that he says because people will continue to agree with him. This is a tactic that Tate uses to slowly manipulate people into believing what he is saying to be the truth.
His main target is not the viewer who already agrees with him, it is the men who are easily impressionable. These men look up to Andrew because they are insecure about their own life. They see Andrew as someone they have always wanted to be–strong, “good” with women, and respected.
Andrew Tate, as well as other men like him, father these insecurities that men have been raised to believe exist. For example, Andrew believes that sleeping with lots of women is the only way to prove that you are a “man”. He thinks that if you are not having loads of sex with women all the time, then you must just be a loser.
This gets instilled in his viewers, and they realize that they aren’t having as much intimacy as Andrew is saying (HINT: most people aren’t), and they want to watch more of Andrew’s content, to no longer be seen as a “loser”.
Unfortunately, Andrew Tate’s misogynistic pipeline does not just stop at his viewer. When an audience takes what someone says as the truth, they will likely share it with other people, and instill those ideas into their own lives.
This continues spreading his message and furthers his agenda.
Now that he has been banned from various social media platforms, it will continue to be challenging to fight against his rhetoric, but there is a significantly better chance that change will come following his removal.
What are your thoughts on this situation? Let us know @HerCampusSJSU