Platforms Ignore Danger of “Networked Incitement”
On Wednesday, David Ingram of NBC News reported that the far-right hate account “Libs of TikTok” had been linked to at least 33 instances of violent intimidation, including 21 bomb threats. The account was first created on Twitter by Chaya Raichik, a former real estate agent who attended the “Stop the Steal” really on Jan. 6^th. Raichik tried and failed to achieve virality with several different gimmicks before landing on a strategy that worked: she would trawl social media platforms for videos of LGBTQ people and repost content that was likely to trigger harassment and bullying. Capitalizing on rage-engagement, Raichik grew Libs of TikTok accounts across multiple platforms, including Instagram and Facebook. Ironically, TikTok is the only social media company to have permanently banned her account.  
 
It's unclear why Meta hasn’t followed TikTok’s lead and de-platformed Raichik for spreading anti-LGBTQ hate. Beyond straightforward harassment, the real danger posed by Libs of TikTok is its ability to launch intimidation campaigns against teachers, librarians, mental health professionals, and doctors who express support for the LGBTQ community. Extremism researcher Joan Donovan has described Libs of TikTok as engaging in “networked incitement,” a form of online insurgency involving ringleaders who use social media to bring about real-world violence. Raichik, for instance, targeted Boston Children’s Hospital with a flurry of posts in the summer of 2022, claiming without evidence that doctors were performing hysterectomies on minors. The hospital was inundated with calls threatening violence, which culminated in a bomb threat and lockdown. Until social media platforms acknowledge the role they play in this cycle, accounts like Libs of TikToks are free to encourage this behavior and pave the way for political violence.