“Cascade effect”
The accounts we discovered sought to exploit growing anti-immigrant sentiment in the UK. An Ipsos poll last month found concerns about immigration at the highest level in a decade, while Reform UK, a party that has recently announced a series of tough immigration policies, has consistently topped Westminster polls for months.
Many of the videos we found refer to immigrants as “invaders.” The most popular video, which has been viewed almost 4 million times, shows a group of South Asians approaching the shore in a small boat as a white man shouts into a megaphone: “We will only let you in if you promise to wear deodorant.” The author's TikTok shop sold Monster energy drinks, creatine, and airfryer liners.
“The design of [social media] “Platforms aim to profit from engagement. Hate is profitable, so there is a huge tension between economic incentives and the social and political impact of this content,” said Beatriz López Buarque, a fellow who works on online misinformation and the far right at the London School of Economics.
“In the case of TikTok, we might watch a video to the end if it catches our attention. This is already enough for the algorithm to start recommending it further.” [content]So you get a cascading effect. ”
