- Andrew Tate’s influence discussed
- Internet fuels new misogyny
- AI tools amplify sexism
A scientist asserts that as the internet fosters a new wave of misogyny, society’s treatment of women has regressed.
According to Deborah Cameron, an Oxford University professor of language and communication, the internet has facilitated the emergence of a contemporary manifestation of misogyny.
Professor Cameron argues that individuals like Andrew Tate and Donald Trump have promoted new forms of chauvinism, as opposed to these forms becoming obsolete.
A proliferation of online forums, including TikTok, has facilitated the dissemination of sexist ideas, resulting in an increase in verbal harassment and threats directed at women.
Sexism has now become “ordinary and unremarkable” in mainstream advertising, satire, and news reporting, according to Professor Cameron.
Harassment Amplified by Online Platforms
Professor Cameron posits in her book “Language, Sexism and Misogyny” that misogyny has transformed into a manifestation that mirrors contemporary circumstances and digital culture.
Extremely active online communities have contributed to the proliferation of a new, particularly extreme conception of masculinity, which has contributed to this transformation.
Professor Cameron said, “The internet has enabled the most extreme, obsessive, and dangerous misogynists to locate one another and engage in intense communication.”
Historically, according to Professor Cameron, these individuals “might have confided in a select group of trusted confidants in the locker room or the pub” regarding their views or violent fantasies.
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She further explained, “This is the result of the so-called “manosphere,” which consists of forums that host subcultures such as pick-up artists, incels, and male supremacists who are frequently also active in other extreme political movements such as white nationalism or neo-Nazism.”
According to Professor Cameron, influential individuals such as Andrew Tate have played a significant role in disseminating this revolutionary form of online misogyny.
Tate, who is presently laid to rest on charges of human trafficking and organizing a criminal organization to exploit women, has accumulated a substantial following of millions of individuals, with a particular appeal among young males and young men.
According to Professor Cameron, Tate has benefited from social media algorithms that endorse detrimental and controversial content.
Online Influence and Amplification
Professor Cameron states, “He has amassed billions of followers by understanding the algorithms that determine which content users of platforms such as TikTok and YouTube are invited to view.”
Tate’s influence is not solely attributable to the content he creates (he would not be the phenomenon he is if it were unappealing) but also to how technology amplifies things.
A Victorian misogynist who disseminated his views through printed treatizes or church sermons may have pounded a considerable number of individuals but not billions on a global scale.
Members of parliament have recently implored Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to address the radicalization and “brain-washing” of schoolchildren through the content of Andrew Tate.
She also asserts that Tate’s behaviour is merely an example of the normalized, pervasive acceptance of misogyny and misogynistic language in daily life.
According to Professor Cameron, this new wave of sexism in society has increased the amount of online and offline harassment women endure.
Professor Cameron stated, “Digital interactive media make it incredibly simple to harass others anonymously with threatening and abusive messages.”
“Since the inception of the digital age, there has been a significant surge in online abuse that specifically targets women—particularly those with a public persona.”
According to Professor Cameron, prominent public figures such as Vice President Kamala Harris and eco-activist Greta Thunberg have been especially susceptible to an increase in sexist harassment.
Professor Cameron asserts that harassment and threats have historically afflicted women in public life but that the simplicity of communication via the Internet has “substantially exacerbated the magnitude of the issue.”
She further asserts that an increasing number of individuals are concerned that “extremely graphic rape and death threats” are impeding the ability of women to participate in public life and politics.
Conversely, online communities such as the ‘Tradwife’ movement actively promote reverting to an era when women had no participation in public life.
The traditions advocate for a way of life in which the female partner is entirely subordinate to the male partner, whose primary responsibility is the household’s upkeep and the family’s upbringing.
AI Tools and Amplification of Sexism
Furthermore, according to Professor Cameron’s statement, AI tools such as ChatGPT magnify sexism because the biases of the data they are trained on are present.
Because Large Language Models necessitate extensive online data, they incorporate the misogyny encoded within that data.
For instance, Professor Cameron hypothesizes that AI will only generate images of male physicians if most online images of physicians are of men.
“A preexisting bias is not merely replicated, but amplified, ” Professor Cameron asserts.
However, Ms Cameron further asserts that “AIs are ignorant of this: they are only able to process texts and images that depict the world and have no knowledge of its true nature.”
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