Despite what you may believe, your opinion has been influenced by TikTok. It controls what people think is in, what clothes you think you should wear, what you find funny, etc. Most of it is harmless, but what can happen if you let it determine your political opinion? I believe that extensive social media use can result in harmful beliefs becoming embedded in our youth.
You’ve probably heard of the idea of “pipelines,” where repeated exposure to certain political ideologies can gradually influence a person’s opinions. But try considering how you personally have been subjugated to them. Most of them are disguised as humor, others aren’t even meant to serve a political purpose, and are just regurgitated by people who find these things funny. But either way, if you spend a few hours scrolling through social media, you’re bound to come across something with some kind of political undertones. Case in point: Agartha.
So, what is Agartha? It is a myth of a civilization located on the inner surface of the Earth. Some interpretations claim it is a hidden home for a superior Aryan society. According to these myths, only people with Nordic features, such as white skin, blonde hair, and blue eyes, are allowed entry.
Agartha originates from esoteric Neo-Nazi beliefs, yet it has been repurposed into a semi-niche, humorous trend online. At first, I found it laughable. The idea of a kingdom of this kind existing on the inner surface of the Earth sounds so ridiculous that it seemed harmless. I imagine some of you reading this now might also be laughing at such a ridiculous notion, but it’s important to look past the absurdity and recognize that this legend is dangerous.
What may have started as an inside joke among far-right communities online has now spread widely on TikTok. And if you take a closer look, the videos often include overt Nazi imagery, and even if creators intend them as jokes, they have the potential to radicalize viewers. What seems silly at first glance can carry serious ideological weight.
When your viewership is mostly impressionable teenagers, having something like this ingrained into their head through hours of scrolling could very well influence them in ways that would normally seem out of the question.
On the topic of trends that are harmless at first glance, I think it is also important to consider both sides of the political spectrum. “Kirkification” is another joke which the internet seems to have desensitized itself to.
Charlie Kirk was a conservative political activist that was assassinated while speaking at Utah Valley University. I was not a fan of Charlie Kirk, but I was mildly saddened by his death. As the videos of the attack circulated on the internet, many people who despised him expressed sympathy towards the situation. Only weeks after the event, however, people online started “Kirkifying” things, using AI to put his face over often satirical imagery.
In my opinion, a trend that reduces an assassination to something you can laugh at encourages incidents of political violence to happen again rather than preventing them. Despite this, when you point out how such social media trends may be harmful or offensive, you are often met with remarks like; “It’s not that deep,” or “you’re too sensitive.”
I’m not going to act like these videos aren’t funny, either, but that’s exactly what makes them so dangerous. It’s like people seem to think posting things that would normally be inexcusable become harmless once you realize you can get a few chuckles and views out of them. I hope that people, especially teenagers that are susceptible to propaganda, can be more conscious of what they like or post on social media moving forward.
