On the Interface of Influencers and Antagonists

This article considers the constitutive role of audience antagonism in the mediation of reactionary politics. Reactionary political influencers are now instrumental in the cultivation of toxic online environments typified by the platforming of racist, misogynistic, and anti-LGBTQIA+ content. As institutional and regulatory frameworks increasingly seek to grapple with the platformised ecosystem within which these influencers operate, the focus of interventions remains largely on content creators. However, the social media audiences of reactionary influencers also position themselves as active contributors both in and against the mediation of reactionary politics, navigating complex alignments of assent and dissent in their engagement. Taking Andrew Tate and Chaya Raichik (aka Libs of TikTok) as case studies, this article examines a variety of antagonisms typifying audience engagement with reactionary influencers, arguing that attention to these audience antagonisms presents new opportunities for conceptualising the social, political, and economic embeddedness of reactionary influencer online content.