Social media and anti-LGBTQ+ McCarthyism
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Much of the online discourse around Taylor Lorenz’s story about the proprietor of the anti-LGBTQ+ hate Twitter account “Libs of Tik Tok” has focused on her decision to reveal her name. This is actually one of the least interesting aspects of the story; she’s just a random reactionary crackpot (“she minimized covid, cast doubt on the election results and promoted a dubious story about a child sex trafficking ring“), and while there are some tough cases about when someone is a public figure a 700K twitter account often cited by the Republican public officials trying to run LGBTQ+ teachers out of schools and take trans kids away from parents who are too supportive is not a tough case. (Raichik certainly has a more material influence on American public policy in 2002 than, to choose an example entirely at random, Hunter Biden.)
Indeed, the most interesting aspects of the article describe the influence that hateful meme accounts can have and how they function within the Republican media puke funnel:
Libs of TikTok reposts a steady stream of TikTok videos and social media posts, primarily from LGBTQ+ people, often including incendiary framing designed to generate outrage. Videos shared from the account quickly find their way to the most influential names in right-wing media. The account has emerged as a powerful force on the Internet, shaping right-wing media, impacting anti-LGBTQ+ legislation and influencing millions by posting viral videos aimed at inciting outrage among the right.
The anonymous account’s impact is deep and far-reaching. Its content is amplified by high-profile media figures, politicians and right-wing influencers. Its tweets reach millions, with influence spreading far beyond its more than 648,000 Twitter followers. Libs of TikTok has become an agenda-setter in right-wing online discourse, and the content it surfaces shows a direct correlation with the recent push in legislation and rhetoric directly targeting the LGBTQ+ community.
“Libs of TikTok is basically acting as a wire service for the broader right-wing media ecosystem,” said Ari Drennen, LGBTQ program director for Media Matters, the progressive media watchdog group. “It’s been shaping public policy in a real way, and affecting teachers’ ability to feel safe in their classrooms.”
The account has been promoted by podcast host Joe Rogan, and it’s been featured in the New York Post, the Federalist, the Post Millennial and a slew of other right-wing news sites. Meghan McCain has retweeted it. The online influencer Glenn Greenwald has amplified it to his 1.8 million Twitter followers while calling himself the account’s “Godfather.” Last Thursday, the woman behind the account appeared anonymously on Tucker Carlson’s show to complain about being temporarily suspended for violating Twitter’s community guidelines. Fox News often creates news packages around the content that Libs of TikTok has surfaced.
[…]
But the house plant parody never took off. On April 19, 2021, she pivoted her account once again, this time to Libs of TikTok.
Just four months after getting started, Libs of TikTok got its big break: Joe Rogan started promoting the account to the millions of listeners of his hit podcast. He mentioned it several times on the show in August, then again in late September. “Libs of TikTok is one of the greatest f—ing accounts of all time,” he said. With his seal of approval, Raichik’s following skyrocketed.
Libs of TikTok gained more prominence throughout the end of last year, cementing its spot in the right-wing media outrage cycle. Its attacks on the LGBTQ+ community also escalated. By January, Raichik’s page was leaning hard into “groomer” discourse, calling for any teacher who comes out as gay to their students to be “fired on the spot.”
The critical role that media influencers who pose as apolitical or [LOL] left play in exposing their audiences to the moral panic du jour is especially worth emphasizing. (Her #1 fan Glem might want to give her a few lessons in implying things passive-aggressively rather than stating them outright, though.)
Meanwhile, there’s nothing J.D. Vance can’t make more ridiculous:
If you love calling anyone who disagrees with you a groomer, you should definitely support loosening up libel laws. It will be a big win for you! https://t.co/B8HAAeT7QE— CJ Ciaramella (@cjciaramella) April 19, 2022
I shouldn’t laugh — get a claim that correctly identifying someone’s name is defamatory in front of the right 28-year-old Trump put on the U.S. District Court and who knows what might happen. I will laugh at Peter Thiel’s marionette pretending to care about the outsize influence of the wealthy, though.
….amazing how often MAGA/Intellectual Dark Web people getting “cancelled” means “getting large amounts of money to work less”:
I had heard that Babylon Bee had recently provided financial backing for @libsoftiktok but didn’t have enough confirmation on the details to nail it down for my story.
Seth Dillon, CEO of the Babylon Bee has now confirmed it. pic.twitter.com/t9nGzPGL4m— Taylor Lorenz (@TaylorLorenz) April 20, 2022