Social media has played an important role in the lives of many of us over the last couple of decades, including myself; influencing the way we receive information and interact with each other. This has been for the better – with this generation being the most connected in human history and friendships spanning continents, and for worse – with the advent of fast fashion and quick trends dumping an estimated 92 million tonnes of waste per year.

But, more specifically, what role has social media played in the rise of extremists that spread the message of hatred amongst the younger generations of today?

Social media works in a way that shows you what you want to see, and what you interact with the most. For example, cooking is one of my favourite hobbies, and so I watch videos on formats like YouTube which are culinary based. As a result, YouTube’s algorithm realises that I prefer to watch cooking content over other videos, therefore it will show me more food videos to keep me returning to the platform. This has the benefit of tailoring the experience towards you, removing things that you don’t want to see; yet that can be the exact reason why extremism online is such a threat.

When you decide to engage with an extreme form of content, not just politically but racially, or religiously, this form of extremism will come up more often. This creates a kind of echo chamber, that restricts access to another point of view and prevents you from questioning the content you’re seeing. It appears this viewpoint is the only one that’s right and divides us as a population. This othering often leads its followers to be more likely to commit hate crimes, in the name of a group being superior to their perceived “enemy”. All this is due to social media.

With 5.2 billion total users on different forms of social media, around 64% of the global population, it is possible to get a real perspective on the problem. Even if only 0.01% of those people accessed extremist content, that is still 520,000 people who are actively engaging with these ideologies. This comes from the desire to belong, to exist in a community, and be accepted as an individual.

Younger generations like my own are lured in by the messages these ideologies preach and the promises they make, such as wealth, influence, the respect of others and power.

This includes the manosphere, which discusses masculinity in a way that emphasises the qualities I previously mentioned. Personally, I have seen a few people who were influenced by this type of media, and found they were attracted by the visible wealth and the lifestyle of these creators. They were not shy in repeating offensive slogans from their social media, be it to another pupil or a teacher. This is the end goal, to make a follower truly believe that their way is the only way to achieve power and control, or to truly be a man in the case of the manosphere.

So, how can somebody escape out of these extremist areas of society? Better still, how might we prevent ourselves from entering these areas in the first place?

To remove yourself from a community it is helpful to know how to make the algorithm work for you. It isn’t about removing social media from your life; it has many benefits to it and is there for you to use and enjoy. You must remove yourself from the echo chambers. Using features such as blocking certain creators, disliking videos, or not interacting at all with them, will cause the algorithm to change what it shows to you. This will allow you to distance yourself from discriminatory content. Features like this have proven useful for me as I have been able to block content I have seen online which has been extremist or radical in nature. You can also block the numbers of those you don’t wish to talk with from a certain group, especially those who are extremist in their views.

In terms of prevention, recognising discriminatory behaviour is key. At Bradford Hate Crime Alliance, there are a wide range of digital literacy sessions being taught. These focus on techniques to identify misinformation online and the negative effects of group thinking and how it can affect your decision making. This is especially important in recognising the bias that is in most viral news, such as discriminatory terms being said on an openly racist media accounts, questioning the facts they say are true. It’s about seeing through the emotive language and the shocking headlines and discussing the situation with others in a constructive way. This may cause some conflict, yet without these conversations there would be no change at all.

It isn’t only about recognising and talking about this type of content, it’s also about being confident in yourself and your beliefs. Oftentimes it’s easier to submit to the values of others, even if you don’t agree with them for the sake of fitting in, especially if they offer the lifestyle that you want. This can often be forced on by peer pressure, and this doesn’t allow you to have an opinion.

Don’t let others make this choice for you, especially if it involves bullying other communities and groups.

From my personal experience, I’ve seen how easy it is to descend into a rabbit hole where the algorithm will provide you with content that negatively affects your wellbeing, with unsavoury characters popping up on my feeds spitting hate. Yet, I have learned to ignore and block these creators. I have learned to be confident in myself and who I am, despite being mocked occasionally for my heritage and name.

It is difficult navigating today’s world, being constantly bombarded with information, but its about seeking clarity in everything. It’s about questioning the “facts” shown online, questioning the “truth” that is preached by extremists, and making up your own mind – all while respecting others for their beliefs and values. This is regardless of whether you agree with their opinions, because tolerance is something we all must have. Disagreements are inevitable, but for us to exist as a society we must understand that we are different and embrace that. This involves using social media in a safe and controlled way, to prevent the rise of extremism.