TikTok, TikTok, “X”, Is There Any Point?  

“You hide behind this public machine
Still follow same old scheme” 

To answer my own question, Yes, unfortunately there is. If you are in the public eye you have to use social media. Used well it can be incredibly powerful, used badly and it can be incredibly destructive 

 
I have to admit that social media has passed me by, other than a brief flirtation with Instagram, and Pinterest which can be a useful point of reference for my fashion research. 

Some years ago, I asked my son about the latest must use platform, the response was along the lines of we have all moved on because people of your age started using it. Even I can take a hit that broad. 

If you want an example of how destructive social media can be just ask Greg Wallace, who went rogue over the weekend. 

Now given the numerous allegations of prehistoric masculine sexual behaviour made against him, Gregs’ best options were a heartfelt apology, a few tears always a add a little contrition, or to say nothing. Instead, Greg decided to go on the offensive. 
 

‘If you want an example of how destructive social media can be just ask Greg Wallace’

 
The thrust of his attack consisted of very little, other than he had been on the TV for years, worked with thousands of ladies, and only a few found him offensive. The crux of his argument was that those complaining were of a certain type: “middle class, and middle aged”. 

I find him irritating and talentless, to that add we can add prehistoric and misogynistic. Perhaps Trumps’ America might suit him better?!   

He is a relic, dishing up the supposedly harmless banter of a bygone era when ITV primetime blithely commissioned the crass racial and cultural machinations found in sitcoms such as “Love Thy Neighbour” and “Mind Your Language”. 

He appears to be either ignorant of cultural changes, or has chosen to ignore them as he assumes he is too famous to be criticised. But then, the recent cultural shifts demand an emotional intelligence and humility that appears to be beyond his limits. 

His media rant highlights this, its just a barrage of misogyny, victim-blaming and reckless bravado that’s no longer forgivable in the public eye. He is a man who is unable to comprehend the times, conditions and how much attitudes have changed. 

Another example is Connor McGregor, who, whilst I had heard of him, I needed to google to see what he actually did. Apparently, he is a former star with the Ultimate Fighting Championship. 
 

‘recent cultural shifts demand an emotional intelligence and humility that appears to be beyond his limits’

 
This week, McGregor was ordered to pay nearly €250,000 to Nikita Hand, who claimed he had “brutally raped and battered” her.  The case has prompted calls for a rethink of how society interacts with power, wealth and a “manosphere” intent on pushing its own notions of masculinity. 

A paramedic who had examined Hand the next day told the court that she hadn’t seen such severe bruising for a long time, a psychiatrist diagnosed her with PTSD. 

Last year, McGregor was described in an Irish Times column as “immensely famous, with a fervent fanbase, a persona forged in cod-gladiatorial showbusiness, a genius for personal branding and a toxic narcissism that is the political style of our times.” 

Ernesto Vasquez Del Aguila, an assistant professor who teaches a class on masculinities at University College Dublin, hopes was that the case would open a wider space for conversations on violence and masculinities. He said: “This is not an isolated case. We men are socialised with the expectation that violence is part of being a man, that we are entitled to women’s bodies, that men are naturally hypersexualised, that ‘no’ means ‘try harder’,” Vasquez Del Aguila said in an email. “Men are not naturally ‘toxic’ or inclined to violence. Society teaches them these roles and we can change these narratives.” 

Among those who have backed McGregor was Andrew Tate, the self-styled “misogynist influencer” who recently sought to disparage Hand in an X post viewed more than 5m times and which described the jury’s decision as “a bullshit ruling”. 
 

‘allowing perverts, all manner of bullying, and it gives a voice to anyone, irrespective of their opinions and values’

 
Charlotte Proudman, a barrister who specialises in violence against women and girls, described Tates’ comments as an unsurprising display of solidarity among “those who normalise violence against women”. While some might brush off these “toxic dynamics”, Proudman highlighted the grave risks they pose. “These public defences perpetuate rape myths and embolden others to dismiss or attack survivors.” 

And, this sums up the major issues with social media. It is almost impossible to “police” it allowing perverts, all manner of bullying, and it gives a voice to anyone, irrespective of their opinions and values.  

Despite these issues, social media is becoming increasingly important in politics, and it appears that far-right politicians are more media savvy than their traditional contemporaries. 

Reform has been quick to engage with a younger audience on TikTok racking up 308,000 followers, whilst it leader, Nigel Farage has >1m. 

While most of its supporters are still older white men, according to YouGov’s post-election analysis, Reform was the third most popular party with men aged 50-64, just one point shy of the Tories. 

But there are signs of growing support among younger age groups, including young men aged 18-24, where Reform was the third most popular choice, alongside the Green Party. 

Interestingly, the misogynistic bent of Reforms’ support is alienating the party among Gen-Z women. It was the least popular option, alongside the Tories. But it was among 16-17-year-olds that the gender gap was the widest. 

The popularity of Gen-Z skewing social platforms like TikTok is part of the answer. Reform was quick to engage with a younger audience there, and has more followers than any other major political party, and significantly ahead of Labour who have 233,100. 

As I wrote in “Brexit, The Warning Sign We All Missed”, two-thirds of his followers are under the age of 35. Half of them are under the age of 25. As he said, “Something remarkable is happening with Gen-Z.”  

And it’s not just TikTok. Reform UK had far and away the highest number of social media page interactions across all platforms during the election, according to analysis by Crowdtangle. 

Among its young followers are right-wing political influencers, like Nicholas Lissack. 
 

‘Reform UK had far and away the highest number of social media page interactions across all platforms during the election’

 
Lissack is, I read, “a smartly dressed student with strong right-wing views”. His first TikTok video supporting Reform went viral in the run-up to the 2024 general election. In the video, which was watched almost 4 million times in 24 hours, he urged other first-time voters to follow his example and support Reform. 

Reform is very much the party of the white male; less than a fifth of its candidates were women, and Five white men were chosen for seats the party deemed winnable. 

Controversially, this year, Mr Farage told Sky News that the self-proclaimed misogynist influencer Andrew Tate was “an important voice for men“. 

Tate is currently banned from YouTube for breaching hate speech rules. He is also banned from Facebook and was described by Meta as a “dangerous individual“. He was also accused of rape, people trafficking and organised crime – though he denies these allegations. 
 

‘accused of rape, people trafficking and organised crime – though he denies these allegations’

 
“There was something about TikTok that worked for Reform,” says Dr Jilly Kay, a senior lecturer in Communication and Media at Loughborough University. “Nigel Farage’s performance and his way of connecting with people worked effectively. We see that in the increased support among young male voters.” 

But she also thinks Reform can tap into something more fundamental and give clarity to voters who feel adrift after a period of unstable politics. 

“As a young man you’re told you can’t do this, you can’t do that. Farage is trying to give that sense of permission,” Dr Kay explains. “[Reform UK] has that sense of freedom and power which people like Farage claim is being denied to men and boys.” 

Like it or not, social media increasingly shapes how people think, therefore it is a prime tool for politicians. However, it appears that knowing how to use it is key to how effective it becomes. 

Recently, there have been several articles confirming that Labour had spent a lot of time speaking to local farmers who incorrectly believed the new tax changes would affect their farms, when they were in fact exempt. The party lays the blame for this “confusion” on social media. “ 

Social media isn’t the enemy here; it’s the party’s failure to harness it, by not pre-empting how the policy would be met by opponents and farmers.  
 

‘accused of rape, people trafficking and organised crime – though he denies these allegations’

 
The narrative should have cleared up and misunderstanding, ensuring that feal farmers understood that the change was designed to close a loophole that allowed the wealthy to buy farms and evade inheritance tax. Instead, the real farmers have become caught in the crossfire as numbers were hurled between government and the opposition, resulting in cash-poor, hard-working families feeling as if they were being targeted. 

Once farmers took to the street the government’s voice was drowned out. Assurance from the environment secretary, Steve Reed, that only 500 farms would be affected in a single year, fell on deaf ears as the idea that 70,000 farms would be affected across a 30-year period had already been disseminated. The National Farmers’ Union claim that 75% of commercial family farms would be affected, contradict chancellor Reeves’s assertion that 75% would be unaffected. Clearly one is wrong, but this serves as an example of how a poor explanations of policy can lead to an information vacuum, in which there is no established consensus and false claims can flourish. 

Labours’ message was lost because they hadn’t been able to engage with their audience, and on social media there is always someone who will.  

I also read that when Labour put out an “Insta-friendly”(Instagram – I assume) statement on all of its social media channels with “the truth about Labour’s budget and farmers”. Apart from it coming too late, it was too wordy, too faceless and, therefore, hollow. On Instagram, it got 3,000 fewer likes than Nigel Farage donning a flat cap and joining the protest for Reform UK’s account, which posted seven times that day. 

Populism is on the rise, especially in mainland Europe, they are adept at taking advantage of crisis, aided by the lacklustre dull politicians in office, and their use of fake news and disinformation destabilises process and democracy.  
 

‘their use of fake news and disinformation destabilises process and democracy’

 
The latest crisis seems to be in France but the message is the same immigration, budget deficits, the majority feeling poor. As with the US, much of Europe is open to populism, as fears of immigrant tides, continuing Russian disinformation, and the threat of a renewed energy crisis and inflation as winter sets in.  

In conclusion, social media is here to stay. It plays an increasingly important role in influencing people. For individuals it’s a matter of personal choice as to whether your participate, but for political parties it is a must. It seems to me that the key is knowing how to use it effectively, something Reform and Farage clearly know how to, whereas Labour need to catch-up. 

In conclusion, social media is the ultimate form of democracy, giving everyone a forum to state their views. Unfortunately, there are a number of people out there whose views might be better kept to themselves. All too often the wrong sorts are becoming role models.  
 

“The world is changing everywhere 

With a speed that couldn’t be speedier 

But you feel so ahead of the curve 

When you’re on social media” 

Today we look at social media, which, as you know, has largely passed me by. My view is that it’s best left to the kids, they don’t oldies trying to be trendy and get in the way!

For politicians social media is a must, but, like many things, it is down to how you use it. Populists such as Trump and Farage appear to be much more savvy when it comes to this. Labour by comparison seem to be novices and need to get up to speed.

Even a luddite like me can see that it is the gateway to a large part of the electorate, especially younger voters. Perhaps sharpening up their presence here might help shake off their dowdy image.

The downside of social media is it allows pond life to proliferate. All manner of perverts, racists and misogynists use it as a platform for their ideals and views. Given that much of this is either illegal or designed to incite violence and riots, more needs to be done to police it.

Along with this is the ownership of such sites. Twitter seemed to run along relatively sensibly until Musk bought it, turned into X and a platform for his own political views. Ultimately, social media is just a news channel, and ownership should be subject to the same scrutiny.

Another impact social media has is immediacy, once it’s online it’s out there. Even if you take it down, it’s still out there, as Greg Wallace found to his cost.

Greg is, unfortunately, typical of how many men now seem to view women. This has been aided by so-called influencers, and has had a detrimental impact on younger men. Women now seem to be fair game for these people, who, I suspect, are just intimidated by them. Their real problem is their own inferiority and that they don’t actually like women.

Finally, I saw with much amusement in yesterday’s PMQs, the LibDem leader, Ed Davey, asking for proportional representation (“PR”). This reminded me of November 2019, and my article, “Has Parliament snatched defeat from the jaws of victory?” Back then, the opposition had the PM, Boris Johnson, where they wanted him. The one thing Johnson wanted was an election, and one wasn’t due until 2022. But, the rather stupid Jo Swinson, LibDem leader at the time, played into his hands and we had an election…the rest is history.

The table below shows the current composition of parliament and how it would differ under PR:

Now, readers will know that I see Reform and Farage as a clear threat to the traditional parties. Looking at the above, I would suggest that the biggest beneficiaries from electoral reform will be Reform. Is this what Ed Davey wants?

Lyrically, we start with “Public Image” by Public Image Limited, and close with “On social media” by the Pet Shop Boys.

Enjoy!

Philip