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Seemingly Innocent Posts Can Lead To Alt-Right Rabbit Holes, As This Woman Points Out
Many people nowadays can’t imagine their lives without the internet and the never-ending news feed. But that’s no surprise, bearing in mind that the algorithms make the news feed feel like a personal collection of everything that one finds interesting.
Be that as it may, there are certain rabbit holes people might fall into, even if they only scroll through what they consider popular trends and nothing more. Online content creator Jess Britvich has taken to TikTok to discuss the way social media and algorithms can influence people’s views, especially towards the alt-right movement. In one of her videos, she discussed the most dangerous alt-right rabbit holes for women, and it didn’t take long to go viral, starting an important discussion. If you’re interested in seeing what Jess had to say, scroll down to find her video, as well as fellow netizens’ opinions, below.
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Jess used social media to point out what trends she believes might lead to the alt-right movement
Image credits: jessbritvich
In her video, she discussed the most dangerous alt-right rabbit holes for women in particular
Image credits: lookstudio / freepik (not the actual photo)
Image credits: jessbritvich
Her TikTok video was viewed more than 1.3 million times on the platform
@jessbritvich @Jess B The alt-right promises yong (white) men power, the alt-right promises young women oppression #progressivetiktok#leftisttiktok#altrightpipeline#altrightpipelinebelike#trumpisadisgrace#trumpism#tradwifecontroversy♬ original sound – Jess B
Algorithms can influence people’s perception of the social world
Image credits: pvproductions / freepik (not the actual photo)
It’s no secret that information—whether factually correct or not—as well as all sorts of trends spread like wildfire on social media. They can reach millions of people in a matter of days, bearing in mind that as of February 2025, nearly 5.6 billion people were internet users—5.24 billion of whom were social media users, too.
It’s also not a secret that the flow of information and the content we are presented with are determined by algorithms, which are used to keep us glued to the screen as long as possible.
Writing for Scientific American, William Brady, an assistant professor of management and organizations at Northwestern University, noted that “algorithms are mainly designed to amplify information that sustains engagement.” And unfortunately, there’s a side effect to that—“algorithms amplify information people are strongly biased to learn from.”
The expert continued to explain that algorithms meeting human psychology can lead to dysfunction, as “social learning supports cooperation and problem-solving, but social media algorithms are designed to increase engagement.” Such dysfunction is called ‘mismatch functional misalignment,’ which, according to Brady, can result in people forming incorrect perceptions of their social world.
“For example, recent research suggests that when algorithms selectively amplify more extreme political views, people begin to think that their political in-group and out-group are more sharply divided than they really are. Such ‘false polarization’ might be an important source of greater political conflict,” Brady wrote.
According to Jess, the alt-right tends to “prey on people’s emotions”
Image credits: freepik (not the actual photo)
In the piece for Scientific American, Brady also explained that functional misalignment can lead to a greater spread of misinformation. He noted, “People who are spreading political misinformation leverage moral and emotional information—for example, posts that provoke moral outrage—in order to get people to share it more. When algorithms amplify moral and emotional information, misinformation gets included in the amplification.”
According to content creator Jess Britvich, the far-right groups tend to use emotions to “win” the “algorithm war.” In one of her videos, she suggested that nowadays, the right is “winning” by being everywhere and “preying on people’s emotions,” or trying to be relatable and infiltrating different spaces, like “clean beauty, homesteading, spirituality, or growing your own food,” thus taking over the narrative.
In her video about the alt-right rabbit holes for women, Jess emphasized that the trends related to the aforementioned things like homesteading or spirituality “aren’t inherently conservative,” though they can become a slippery slope towards alt-right indoctrination.
Talking about emotions, the alt-right, and social media engagement, philosopher and sociologist Renata Salecl noted that if we took a look at the statements on social networks made by alt-right-leaning people, we would notice a wide range of emotions, such as anger, sadness, anxiety, or general indignation. That, together with a sense of belonging, can create the perfect environment for certain groups to form.
“On the one hand, information can quickly scare people and make them paranoid, but, on the other hand, emotions can also lead people to organize themselves,” Salecl wrote for Praxis 13/13, the Columbia Law School Blog. “The feeling that one is part of something bigger or that one is taking part in a joint action is a great motivator for people to form groups and engage in social movements.
“When people are full of painful feelings, when they suffer psychically and physically, they often seek an explanation for these feelings, while they are also hoping that someone might recognize what they feel. It is precisely in this recognition of people’s feelings that populism, alt-right, and authoritarian leaders today excel.”
In the video about how the alt-right uses emotions and creates a sense of relatability, Jess suggested that we need more progressive creators online, which is why it’s important to engage in their content. “You do control your algorithm, at the end of the day,” Jess said, adding that it’s important not only to engage in content that isn’t “red-pilled” but share it, too, so the content that isn’t right-leaning would take up more space in the online world.
Fellow netizens shared their thoughts on her ideas in the comments
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What do you think ?
FreeTheUnicorn 7 months ago
The prophylaxis against alt right is the same no matter the gender. Compassion, logic and valueing people as humans, just for being humans and not for being in your group. If those values are nurured, it doesn't matter how much you love hobby farms, you won't become a facist. The alt right depends on people who want to look down on others so that they can justify cruelty. If you don't want to punch down, they can't get you.
Nils Skirnir 7 months ago
The right wing is expert in psyops and propaganda and it honestly doesn’t take much to influence tweens and teens as they’re very naive. The young GenZ males fell hard for the Andrew Tate c**p and GenA seems as if it will fall harder. But the message isn’t just SM, it’s also mainstreamed, in games, and movies.
Load More Replies...
Pittsburgh rare 7 months ago
"Clean girl" l watch this trend as an older woman and l see it so clearly. It attaches a moral value to some aesthetic, and, inversely, the looks that don't fit are associated with negative values. At the age when you should be bold and daring, you're toning yourself down to blend in, because you don't want to be 'tacky' or 'guetto'. And that translates to social and political views SOOO quickly and smoothly.
BrunoVI 7 months ago (edited)
You just described the entire fashion industry, except for the use of the word, "guetto [sic]." On a site that gushes and pees itself over what someone famous for being famous wore.
Load More Replies... Aline 7 months ago
If you fundamentally disagree with the alt right, it just isn't possible to be hoodwinked into joining. All the people who "just fell in" with the fac ist crowd, never saw other humans as equals to begin with. They were well behaved and maybe didn't voice it, but there is just no way to convince something that a woman is lesser or an immigrant is lesser or some people should be above the law unless they don't believe in intrinsic human value. All the people that are new to the alt right were just passive bigots before, and now they are more active. So yes the alt right are reaching out to new audiences but they are just activating members, they aren't converting anyone.
FreeTheUnicorn 7 months ago
The prophylaxis against alt right is the same no matter the gender. Compassion, logic and valueing people as humans, just for being humans and not for being in your group. If those values are nurured, it doesn't matter how much you love hobby farms, you won't become a facist. The alt right depends on people who want to look down on others so that they can justify cruelty. If you don't want to punch down, they can't get you.
Nils Skirnir 7 months ago
The right wing is expert in psyops and propaganda and it honestly doesn’t take much to influence tweens and teens as they’re very naive. The young GenZ males fell hard for the Andrew Tate c**p and GenA seems as if it will fall harder. But the message isn’t just SM, it’s also mainstreamed, in games, and movies.
Load More Replies... Pittsburgh rare 7 months ago
"Clean girl" l watch this trend as an older woman and l see it so clearly. It attaches a moral value to some aesthetic, and, inversely, the looks that don't fit are associated with negative values. At the age when you should be bold and daring, you're toning yourself down to blend in, because you don't want to be 'tacky' or 'guetto'. And that translates to social and political views SOOO quickly and smoothly.
BrunoVI 7 months ago (edited)
You just described the entire fashion industry, except for the use of the word, "guetto [sic]." On a site that gushes and pees itself over what someone famous for being famous wore.
Load More Replies... Aline 7 months ago
If you fundamentally disagree with the alt right, it just isn't possible to be hoodwinked into joining. All the people who "just fell in" with the fac ist crowd, never saw other humans as equals to begin with. They were well behaved and maybe didn't voice it, but there is just no way to convince something that a woman is lesser or an immigrant is lesser or some people should be above the law unless they don't believe in intrinsic human value. All the people that are new to the alt right were just passive bigots before, and now they are more active. So yes the alt right are reaching out to new audiences but they are just activating members, they aren't converting anyone.
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