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'''Libs of TikTok''', also known by the handle '''@libsoftiktok''', is a [[Twitter]] user known for reposting content created by [[Modern liberalism in the United States|liberal]], [[American Left|left-wing]], and [[LGBT]] [[TikTok]] accounts in a derogatory manner.<ref name=":6"/><ref name="dd">{{cite web |last=Goforth |first=Claire |date=April 18, 2022 |title=Libs of TikTok—the influential, mystery Twitter account hailed by mainstream conservatives—attended Jan. 6 Capitol protest |url=https://www.dailydot.com/debug/libs-of-tiktok-attended-capitol-riot/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220419153428/https://www.dailydot.com/debug/libs-of-tiktok-attended-capitol-riot/ |archive-date=April 19, 2022 |access-date=April 19, 2022 |work=[[The Daily Dot]]}}</ref> The account has over 1.2 million followers as of May 2022,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Libs of TikTok |url=https://socialblade.com/twitter/user/libsoftiktok |access-date=May 4, 2022 |website=[[Social Blade]]}}</ref> and has become influential among [[American conservatives]].<ref name=":6">{{cite news|last=Tomlinson|first=Hugh |date=April 22, 2022 |title=Libs of Tiktok: Twitter provocateur gives Republicans new weapon in war on liberals |work=[[The Times]]|location=London|url=https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/libs-of-tiktok-twitter-provocateur-gives-republicans-new-weapon-in-war-on-liberals-tfrrvh9rf |access-date=April 22, 2022 |issn=0140-0460}}</ref>
'''Libs of TikTok''', also known by the handle '''@libsoftiktok''', is a [[Twitter]] user known for reposting content created by [[Modern liberalism in the United States|liberal]], [[American Left|left-wing]], and [[LGBT]] [[TikTok]] accounts.<ref name=":6"/><ref name="dd">{{cite web |last=Goforth |first=Claire |date=April 18, 2022 |title=Libs of TikTok—the influential, mystery Twitter account hailed by mainstream conservatives—attended Jan. 6 Capitol protest |url=https://www.dailydot.com/debug/libs-of-tiktok-attended-capitol-riot/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220419153428/https://www.dailydot.com/debug/libs-of-tiktok-attended-capitol-riot/ |archive-date=April 19, 2022 |access-date=April 19, 2022 |work=[[The Daily Dot]]}}</ref> The account has over 1.2 million followers as of May 2022,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Libs of TikTok |url=https://socialblade.com/twitter/user/libsoftiktok |access-date=May 4, 2022 |website=[[Social Blade]]}}</ref> and has become influential among [[American conservatives]].<ref name=":6">{{cite news|last=Tomlinson|first=Hugh |date=April 22, 2022 |title=Libs of Tiktok: Twitter provocateur gives Republicans new weapon in war on liberals |work=[[The Times]]|location=London|url=https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/libs-of-tiktok-twitter-provocateur-gives-republicans-new-weapon-in-war-on-liberals-tfrrvh9rf |access-date=April 22, 2022 |issn=0140-0460}}</ref>


Libs of TikTok was originally the personal account of '''Chaya Raichik''', who had continued to be the account's owner. Raichik remained anonymous until her identity was revealed in April 2022.<ref name=dd/><ref name="wapo"/>
Libs of TikTok was originally the personal account of '''Chaya Raichik''', who had continued to be the account's owner. Raichik remained anonymous until her identity was revealed in April 2022.<ref name=dd/><ref name="wapo"/>

Revision as of 21:56, 7 May 2022

@libsoftiktok
The planetary symbols for Mars and Venus in cyan and magenta respectively, in homage of TikTok's logo. In the center is the text Libs of (italicized) and TikTok.
Libs of TikTok's Twitter avatar
Years activeApril 2021 – present
WebsiteLibs of TikTok on Twitter Edit this at Wikidata

Libs of TikTok, also known by the handle @libsoftiktok, is a Twitter user known for reposting content created by liberal, left-wing, and LGBT TikTok accounts.[1][2] The account has over 1.2 million followers as of May 2022,[3] and has become influential among American conservatives.[1]

Libs of TikTok was originally the personal account of Chaya Raichik, who had continued to be the account's owner. Raichik remained anonymous until her identity was revealed in April 2022.[2][4]

Account history

Inception and original content

The account was created in November 2020 as a personal account with the handle @shaya69830552, and later @shaya_ray. Before becoming the Libs of TikTok account, Raichik downplayed the severity of COVID-19, promoted the conspiracy theory that the 2020 United States presidential election was stolen from Donald Trump through election fraud and made posts showing that Raichik was present at the 2021 United States Capitol attack. Raichik later downplayed the attack, claiming it was peaceful compared to a "BLM protest." The handle was later changed to @cuomomustgo, focusing on demanding the resignation of the then-Governor of New York, Andrew Cuomo. The account also promoted efforts to recall the Governor of California, Gavin Newsom. By March 2021, the handle had changed to @houseplantpotus, a parody account tweeting as a houseplant in the White House of U.S. President Joe Biden. @houseplantpotus later became @libsoftiktok in April 2021.[4]

Media attention

In August 2021, podcastor Joe Rogan began promoting the account on The Joe Rogan Experience, leading to a large increase in followers. That same month, lawyer and Republican Party operative Grant Lally filed a trademark for Libs of TikTok as a "news reporter service."[4] The account has been promoted by Donald Trump Jr., by journalist Glenn Greenwald and by political commentators Tucker Carlson and Laura Ingraham; has been featured in the New York Post, The Federalist, The Post Millennial, Fox News and in other right-wing news outlets; and its posts have been retweeted by Meghan McCain.[4][5] In speaking on the Parental Rights in Education bill, often referred to by critics as the "Don't Say Gay bill", Ron DeSantis's press secretary Christina Pushaw credited the account for "opening her eyes" on LGBT education.[4]

Prior to being revealed as the account creator, Raichik was interviewed anonymously on several occasions, during which she boasted that posts from the account led to the firings of several teachers. Raichik encouraged followers to join local school boards in order to remove teachers who teach about gender and sexuality.[4]

Identity revelation

The account's creator endeavored to stay anonymous, appearing in newspaper and television interviews under the condition of anonymity.[4] However, in April 2022, details began to surface about Libs of TikTok's identity. Software developer Travis Brown researched the history of the Libs of TikTok account and named Chaya Raichik as the account's creator.[4] On April 19, 2022, The Washington Post published an article by journalist Taylor Lorenz which further publicized the identity of Raichik, noting that she was an Orthodox Jew who worked in real estate. These details were scraped from Raichik's previous Twitter account.[4] According to The Daily Dot, the revelation of the account's identity "ignited a media firestorm".[6] The article drew criticism, mostly from American Conservatives, who accused Lorenz of doxxing, antisemitism for mentioning Raichik's religion, and hypocrisy for having previously spoken out against online harassment.[7][8][9] Raichik also accused Lorenz of doxxing. In an interview with political commentator Tucker Carlson on Fox News, Raichik accused Lorenz of being "a known hypocrite" who is "known to dox people."[10] In response to the article, Raichik told the New York Post that she "will never be silenced".[11]

Some conservatives said Lorenz's visitation of the home of Raichik's relatives as part of her reporting was harassment.[5] However, Tom Jones of Poytner argued that Lorenz was "Doing her job", saying that "Has there ever been a journalist who hasn't knocked on a door at least once in their career?".[12]

Lorenz has stood by her reporting[13] and accused conservatives of trying to "sow doubt and discredit journalism".[14] Cameron Barr, a senior managing editor at The Washington Post, defended the article, stating that "Lorenz is a diligent and accomplished journalist whose reporting methods comport entirely with the Washington Post's professional standards" and claimed that The Washington Post "did not publish or link to any details about [Raichik's] personal life".[7] In response, Libs of TikTok said that the article did include a link with personal information that was removed.[5] According to The Times of London, "supporters of Lorenz meanwhile pointed out that Raichik's followers were only too enthusiastic about doxxing when it came to teachers being smeared as paedophiles."[1]

Following the publication of the article from The Washington Post, a separate Twitter user, @deletedtweet161, who tracks deleted posts, said that Libs of TikTok deleted "at least 20 tweets" over several days. 2,795 tweets had been deleted since the creation of the account, with some tweets being deleted to get access to the account restored following a suspension from Twitter.[6][11] Libs of TikTok gained about 200,000 new Twitter followers in the day after the article was published.[15]

Raichik claims to run the account alone and said she moved from New York to Los Angeles to work on the account full-time.[2][16]

Account suspensions

Twitter has temporarily suspended Libs of TikTok twice, with the second time being for targeted harassment.[4]

Content

Libs of TikTok promotes conservatism and anti-LGBT rhetoric. The account has targeted schools and teachers, referring to schools as "government run indoctrination camps" for the LGBT community and encouraged followers to contact schools that allowed transgender students to use bathrooms corresponding to their gender identity.[1][2][4]

Libs of TikTok has also said that adults teaching children about LGBT identities is abusive, argued that any teacher who comes out as gay to their students should be fired, falsely claimed that schools were putting litter boxes in bathrooms for students that identified as cats, and falsely claimed that students in second grade were being taught about furries. The account has called members of the LGBT community "literally evil", claimed that being gender non-conforming or being an ally of the LGBT community is a "mental illness", and deliberately misgendered transgender people. It has accused the LGBT community of grooming kids,[2][4][17] including Chasten Buttigieg and The Trevor Project organization in since-deleted tweets.[6][11]

Libs of TikTok has endorsed and defended incidents of police brutality and denied systemic racism.[18] The account's "early content focused on TikTok videos of ostensible progressives performing cringeworthy songs about their love of Anthony Fauci and vaccinations."[18]

The most popular video posted on Libs of TikTok with 5.7 million views features a dispute over racism at Arizona State University involving two students who were told to leave a multicultural center.[18]

After gaining popularity on Twitter, Libs of TikTok has since expanded to additional social media platforms, including Instagram, YouTube, Rumble, Gab, and Gettr. The account was also on TikTok, but was banned for violating TikTok's community guidelines.[4]

Elon Musk has liked a tweet from Libs of TikTok.[18]

Impact and reception

See or edit source data.
A graph of @libsoftiktok's follower count since May 2021.

An English teacher in Oklahoma said that they had been harassed and sent death threats before eventually being fired after a video they posted about supporting LGBT youth and in which he stated "If your parents don't accept you for who you are, fuck them. I'm your parents now" was reposted by Libs of TikTok and went viral online.[19][20] Oklahoma Republican Senate candidate Jackson Lahmeyer, accused the teacher of being a "predator", though some parents took issue with this remark and considered the teacher's class a “safe haven” for LGBTQ students.[20] A teacher in California was placed on administrative leave after a video they posted joking about pledging allegiance to a Pride flag was reposted by Libs of TikTok.[21] On a conservative podcast, Raichik said that "It's not easy to be the one responsible for that, for someone losing their job. On the other hand, I mean these people, some of them are literally evil, and they are grooming kids."[8] According to a report by the left-leaning media watchdog group Media Matters for America, the account has named or tagged around 222 educational institutions and teachers in 2022 as of April 28.[22][23]

According to Euronews, "some of the people targeted by [Libs of TikTok] have received hundreds or even thousands of hate comments". A transgender teacher in Los Angeles received death threats and insults after a video they posted denouncing the Parental Rights in Education bill was reposted by Libs of TikTok.[23]

Another Orthodox Jew named Chaya Raichik, a stay-at-home mom who grew up in Los Angeles, received hundreds of negative messages from people who mistook her for the person behind Libs of TikTok. Her parents' home address was also posted online.[16]

YouTuber Tim Pool and The Daily Wire CEO Jeremy Boreing purchased a billboard in Times Square to accuse Lorenz of doxxing. In response, Lorenz called the billboard "so idiotic it's hilarious".[24]

According to The Verge, "Libs of TikTok [isn't] the only anonymous political tweeter — but may be the most successful", pointing to other "so-called gimmick accounts" on the political left.[25]

Response to account content

According to The Jerusalem Post, some "characterize Libs of TikTok as a project that farms political outrage, especially against LGBTQ+ people, by posting videos with incendiary framing", while others "claim that all she does is curate and repost content that highlights American left-wing extremism and policies."[13] Reporting by Slate noted that "Raichik's feed is colored by an intense hostility to liberals generally, but she holds an especially pronounced animosity toward LGBTQ people, city dwellers, and Black people who have been killed at the hands of police."[18]

Gillian Branstetter, a media strategist for the American Civil Liberties Union, argued that Libs of TikTok "is finding new characters for right-wing propaganda," and that "it's relying on the endless stream of content from TikTok and the Internet to cast any individual trans person as a new villain in their story." Ari Drennen, the LGBTQ program director for the left-leaning media watchdog group Media Matters for America, argued that "Libs of TikTok is basically acting as a wire service for the broader right-wing media ecosystem," adding that the account has "been shaping public policy in a real way, and affecting teachers' ability to feel safe in their classrooms".[4] Christopher Wiggins of The Advocate argued that "LibsOfTikTok is voice in an overall climate of anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric that some correlate to an increase of anti-LGBTQ+ incidents."[15]

Conversely, conservatives and others argued that Libs of TikTok reveals "the ideology and agenda of the far left" and "woke indoctrination".[26][27]

Response to identity reveal

Bonnie Kristian of The Week argued, "The person behind Libs of TikTok doesn't matter much...because conspiracism is communal now", adding that "Lorenz's exposé largely missed the point."[28] Kat Rosenfield of UnHerd called The Washington Post article "an unmasking worthy of a demented superhero story", adding that "It's hard to know what Libs of TikTok’s greater sin is: being wrong, or being popular."[29]

Kara Alaimo, a Hofstra University professor and former Obama Administration staffer writing for NBC News, dismissed criticism regarding identifying the individual running the account, arguing in a NBC News opinion piece that "The people in need of protection here are those who are being targeted with hate simply because of their identities — not the people who are hurling the abuse, like Raichik."[30] Kaitlyn Tiffany of The Atlantic argued that "where the term once defined a category, it now expresses an emotion. Whoever feels doxxed will claim to have been doxxed."[10]

The NGO StopAntisemitism.org criticized Lorenz for mentioning Raichik's religious identity as an Orthodox Jew, arguing that mentioning her religion was unnecessary.[13] Andrew Silow-Carroll, editor in chief of The Jewish Week, defended the inclusion of her religious beliefs in a blog for The Times of Israel, arguing that it "shed light on the growing connection between faith and right-wing politics".[31]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Tomlinson, Hugh (April 22, 2022). "Libs of Tiktok: Twitter provocateur gives Republicans new weapon in war on liberals". The Times. London. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved April 22, 2022.
  2. ^ a b c d e Goforth, Claire (April 18, 2022). "Libs of TikTok—the influential, mystery Twitter account hailed by mainstream conservatives—attended Jan. 6 Capitol protest". The Daily Dot. Archived from the original on April 19, 2022. Retrieved April 19, 2022.
  3. ^ "Libs of TikTok". Social Blade. Retrieved May 4, 2022.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Lorenz, Taylor (April 19, 2022). "Meet the woman behind Libs of TikTok, secretly fueling the right's outrage machine". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on April 19, 2022. Retrieved April 19, 2022.
  5. ^ a b c Halpert, Madeline (April 19, 2022). "Right-Wing Figures Attack Journalist Taylor Lorenz For Revealing Creator Of 'Libs Of TikTok'". Forbes. Retrieved April 20, 2022.
  6. ^ a b c Goforth, Claire (April 20, 2022). "Libs of TikTok's deleted tweet accusing anti-teen suicide organization of 'grooming' resurfaces". The Daily Dot.
  7. ^ a b Mastrangelo, Dominic (April 19, 2022). "Washington Post defends Taylor Lorenz reporting after story on 'Libs of TikTok' Twitter account". The Hill. Retrieved April 20, 2022.
  8. ^ a b Kampeas, Ron (April 21, 2022). "Twitter activist behind far-right 'Libs of TikTok' revealed to be US Orthodox Jew". The Times of Israel. Retrieved April 22, 2022.
  9. ^ Quay, Grayson (April 19, 2022). "Conservatives complain of 'doxxing' after exposé reveals woman behind 'Libs of TikTok' account". The Week. Retrieved April 19, 2022.
  10. ^ a b Tiffany, Kaitlyn (April 22, 2022). "'Doxxing' Means Whatever You Want It To". The Atlantic. Retrieved April 24, 2022.
  11. ^ a b c Tracer, Dan (April 20, 2022). "'Libs of TikTok' deletes thousands of tweets after owner is exposed, but the Internet remembers forever". Queerty.
  12. ^ Jones, Tom (April 21, 2022). "The Taylor Lorenz controversy should not be a controversy at all". Poynter. Retrieved April 24, 2022.
  13. ^ a b c Starr, Michael (April 21, 2022). "US Right, Left clash on orthodox Jewish activist's 'doxxing'". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved April 24, 2022.
  14. ^ Stelter, Brian (April 21, 2022). "Taylor Lorenz discusses 'Libs of TikTok' and her reporting practices". CNN. Retrieved April 23, 2022.
  15. ^ a b Wiggins, Christopher (April 20, 2022). "Anti-LGBTQ+ 'Libs of TikTok' Exposed, Conservatives Are Extremely Mad". The Advocate. Retrieved April 23, 2022.
  16. ^ a b Keene, Louis (April 21, 2022). "Mistaken for a right-wing media star, she met a cyberbullying mob". The Forward. Retrieved April 21, 2022.
  17. ^ Binder, Matt (April 26, 2022). "Libs of TikTok tweeted fake accusations about a school teaching second graders about furries". Mashable. Retrieved April 27, 2022.
  18. ^ a b c d e Stahl, Jeremy (April 27, 2022). "The Hate-Fueled and Hugely Influential World of Libs of TikTok". Slate. Retrieved April 27, 2022.
  19. ^ Wakefield, Lily (April 20, 2022). "Teacher targeted by Libs of TikTok sent death threats and lost his job". PinkNews. Retrieved April 20, 2022.
  20. ^ a b Martin, Scott (April 14, 2022). "Parents divided after former Owasso teacher resigns following viral TikTok videos". KOKI-TV. Retrieved April 20, 2022.
  21. ^ Parsons, Vic (August 31, 2021). "Teacher who joked about students pledging allegiance to Pride flag 'removed from classroom'". PinkNews. Retrieved April 21, 2022.
  22. ^ Richardson, Jackie (May 2, 2022). "Libs of TikTok is continuing to declare war on the LGBTQ2S+ community". Xtra Magazine. Retrieved May 3, 2022.
  23. ^ a b Berjikian, Katherine (May 2, 2022). "'Libs of Tiktok': Twitter account is targeting LGBTQ+ teachers in the U.S." Euronews. Retrieved May 3, 2022.
  24. ^ Allsop, Jon (April 27, 2022). "Piers Morgan, Donald Trump, and the doomed transatlantic culture wars". Columbia Journalism Review. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
  25. ^ Sato, Mia (April 28, 2022). "Leftist gimmick accounts want their tweets to influence politics, too". The Verge. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
  26. ^ Mandel, Bethany (April 21, 2022). "Perspective: The story that's not being told about the 'Libs of TikTok'". Deseret News. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
  27. ^ O'Neill, Brendan (April 20, 2022). "Why they loathe Libs of TikTok". Spiked. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
  28. ^ Kristian, Bonnie (April 19, 2022). "Out with Alex Jones-style conspiracy theorizing. In with Libs of TikTok". The Week. Retrieved April 21, 2022.
  29. ^ Rosenfield, Kat (April 21, 2022). "Why Libs of TikTok terrifies the media". UnHerd. Retrieved April 21, 2022.
  30. ^ Alaimo, Kara (April 21, 2022). "There's a proper term for what happened to the 'Libs of TikTok' creator. It's not 'doxxing.'". NBC News. Retrieved April 27, 2022.
  31. ^ Silow-Carroll, Andrew (April 25, 2022). "Why the 'Libs of TikTok' founder's Jewish identity was fair game". The Times of Israel. Retrieved April 26, 2022.

External links

source: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Libs_of_TikTok&curid=70575023&diff=1086712226&oldid=1086711756

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