After the 2024 presidential election, information tales proliferated about Donald Trump successful over the younger male vote. On the floor, many mentioned this was due partly to a genius transfer by his son Barron to get Trump on podcasts hosted by Joe Rogan and Theo Von.
Nonetheless, should you ask Chris Kluwe, the reason being rather more nefarious than that.
The previous Minnesota Vikings punter who lately went viral for protesting a MAGA plaque at a public library in Huntington Seashore, California, instructed Day by day Kos that social media algorithms are main males to undertake neo-Nazi ideologies.
Associated story: Ex-NFL participant arrested for protesting MAGA plaque in public library
“A lot of the radicalization of young men in America is because big tech companies want to make a lot of money, and they don’t care who they hurt to do it,” he mentioned.
Within the digital area, an organization’s backside line usually boils all the way down to clicks and time spent on an article or video. With dwindling consideration spans and nonstop information cycles, creators and firms as a complete have jumped to new ranges to compete for consideration.
In different phrases, Kluwe mentioned, the creators perceive that to “drive clicks”—which translate to {dollars}—they should make extra “extreme content.”
“And so they lead these people down rabbit holes, where you start right at the Joe Rogan podcast, and then you end as a member of Stormfront,” Kluwe mentioned, referring to a neo-Nazi message board.
And it’s not simply U.S. creators pushing these concepts on their very own. In 2024, right-wing social media creators have been allegedly tied to a Russian operation to unfold pro-Russian propaganda.
Up to now election cycle, the U.S. has seen Silicon Valley and its highly effective tech corporations primarily abandon the left and bow to MAGA. From million-dollar donations to Trump’s inaugural funds, VIP seats to his swearing-in, multimillion-dollar settlement circumstances, office range overhauls, and extra, tech and social media corporations have a hue of pink.
X—now a haven for far-right ideologies—is run by the Nazi-saluting Elon Musk, who holds huge sway within the White Home as Trump’s “first buddy.” He additionally has banned some left-leaning accounts from the web site.
Kluwe, whose following on Bluesky skyrocketed after his arrest in Orange County, continues to be banned.
“I impersonated Elon Musk,” he instructed Day by day Kos. “When Musk declared he was going to open up the verification system to anyone who could pay eight bucks or 10 bucks, I was instantly like … this is a really bad idea. At that point, it’s not really a verification system, it’s a ‘Hey, I have money, pay attention to me’ system.”
To show his level, Kluwe says he trolled Musk by impersonating him on X (then Twitter) for about 18 hours earlier than the location caught on.
One of many viral tweets?
“There is nothing better than waking up and enjoying a fresh, steaming cup of my own urine,” Kluwe wrote. “Such a tangy way to start the day, and it’s scientifically proven to help brain cells grow. If you want to be like me, drink your pee.”
To Kluwe, it isn’t simply social media that’s been bowing all the way down to the correct. In his opinion, even legacy media retailers like The New York Occasions have conceded to Trump as effectively.
After turning down an interview with the Occasions, Kluwe instructed Day by day Kos that he agreed to our interview as a result of our outlet “didn’t write an apologia for a dictator.”
“The New York Times was complicit in Hitler’s rise to power,” Kluwe mentioned, including, “Because they wrote the exact same articles they’re writing now. They wrote, ‘Oh, Hitler doesn’t mean it. Oh, he’s just trolling about the Jews. Oh, he would never do something like that.’ And then the camp started.”
Associated story: Ex-NFL star Chris Kluwe: ‘No kings, no tyrants—not now, not ever’
However Kluwe, like many involved folks around the globe, understands there isn’t one simple answer to repair the rising drawback of radicalization and violence via social media.
“Well, you could put [Meta CEO] Mark Zuckerberg in jail for a start. Then you could break apart YouTube, figure out what their algorithms are doing, find the people responsible for that, put them in jail,” Kluwe mentioned, although he added, “It’s never going to happen.”
However, Kluwe mentioned what we actually want is “more voices speaking up on the other side.”
“We need those voices to be amplified by people who have power,” he mentioned. “As a result of proper now, the individuals who have energy lean towards Trump.”
However as at all times, cash talks. Persons are abandoning X and flocking to alternate options like Bluesky. Information readers are canceling their Washington Put up subscriptions and leaning extra towards unbiased media sources.
In different phrases, it’s potential that being all in on Trump may not be good for giant tech in any case.
