by Emma Kelsall
While quarantine has dulled our lives in the areas of sports and entertainment, it may be argued that the internet is the most vibrant and lively it has ever been. Millions have flocked to sites such as Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat to partake in innovative challenges and show off their talents and skills. However, it is not uncommon knowledge that the internet isn’t always the utopia it seems to be.
For many, the internet is a platform to showcase their ideas and beliefs and to potentially connect with others that share similar stances on hot topics and current events. This makes the internet ideal for political forums and discussion, and it is never hard to find accounts on any form of social media that have a strong focus on politics. But what happens when two sides collide?
Recently, there has been much debate around a spat between TikTokers Emma Lu (@emmuhlu on TikTok) and Nick Lowenberg (@nickvideos on TikTok). Lu’s strongly liberal viewpoint clashed with the heavily conservative ideas of Lowenberg in an explosive argument that shook both of their fanbases.
The clash began when Lu, 18, posted a satirical video claiming that she could beat Lowenberg in a fight. In the video, Lu claims “I could punch him in the face and leave him on the floor crying and panting for help.” Lu’s followers took the video as a joke instead of interpreting it as a direct threat to Lowenberg’s safety. On the other hand, Lowenberg’s fans believed that Lu had real intentions to cause bodily harm to Lowenberg.
Lowenberg, 17, responded to the video on his own page. In his TikTok addressing the video Lowenberg said: “Wow. Gotta say I’ve never had a woman threaten me with violence. But it’s apparent you don’t like my political opinions. So instead of threatening me with violence and making yourself look like a degenerate, why don’t you debate me?…If you don’t respond, you’re just an idiot who knows nothing about politics.”
So it seemed the stage was set for an intense political debate. But where does Nicki Minaj fall into all of this?
Even in the content they create, Lu and Lowenberg could not be more different. Lowenberg’s content embodies the conservative viewpoint. Many of his videos show the Texan teenager to be a pro-life, gun-loving Trump supporter. Even the setup of his videos screams “right wing”, from the various banners (including one displaying the Republican Elephant and another depicting a gun) and stuffed deer heads on the walls. Bernie Sanders supporter Lu, however, is not a prominent political figure. Despite her deep passion for social justice, Lu’s content is more comical than informative. She is most famous for videos of her rapping to Nicki Minaj songs, coining her the nickname “Emma the Barb.” The Barbz are Nicki Minaj’s loyal fanbase, and it would seem that they were unhappy to watch one of their own being criticised.
Soon enough, Lowenberg’s comment section was flooded with Nicki Minaj lyrics. While at first this all seemed fun and games, it did not take long for a few irresponsible users to blow the argument out of proportion. Many messages and videos were fabricated, ranging from relatively harmless ones of Lowenberg claiming to be a member of the Barbz, to more serious ones, such as direct messages from Lowenberg photoshopped to say the n-word. Lowenberg threatened to charge these individuals with libel, although the chaos did not stop there. The squabble reached its climax when a Barb actually threatened to dox the teenager by leaking his address. Lowenberg ultimately decided that it would be for the best to take a break from TikTok and temporarily deleted his account.
Lu was also faced with many horrible comments. Despite stating many times that she did not condone or encourage the behaviour of many of her followers towards Lowenberg, she was greatly blamed for many of their actions. Lu was threatened with legal charges by many conservatives, who also attacked her appearance. Lu, who is outspoken about her troubled upbringing, was also blasted as having “daddy issues” by many prominent conservative creators, attempting to invalidate the abuse she received from male figures in her life.
Nonetheless, Lu felt partly responsible for the hate that Lowenberg received and made a formal apology video, claiming that she “was wrong for some of the things that I said.” Lowenberg has since returned to the platform and has started making videos again.
It would seem that the argument between these two has officially been put to bed, though their fans are still sparring. Although this is only one example, this is part of a much bigger problem. Too often, a simple political discussion escalates into defamation, doxxing and other legal offenses. In multiple instances, charges have been pressed against people for disputes bred from simple jokes. But how can we prevent this from happening?
Firstly, we could educate our children from a young age to respect others’ opinions. By introducing different points of view at an early age, we would teach our children to be more tolerable and accepting of others in the future. Furthermore, online debates between big creators should be more formal, such as having a moderator to oversee the discussion and selecting topics that both sides are educated and passionate about. A fair argument ensures that there is no need to create any tension where it isn’t needed.
