Charlie Kirk was a product of internet culture
He traveled the country challenging college students to debates (which was the reason he was at Utah Valley University on the afternoon of his assassination), and participated in online political brawls with liberals. These gatherings weren’t actually about generating productive dialogue or changing minds. Rather, they were designed to create viral clips.
Kirk fit into what Jamie Cohen, associate professor of media studies at Cuny Queens College, describes as a collective of “media martyrs”, a group of online voices who claim to be bravely countercultural. His tactics appealed particularly to young men who saw him as a “truthsayer”.
In Cohen's view, Kirk’s acolytes believed they had been marginalized in a culture that had deprioritized white men. They saw him “as brave and willing to say what others won’t”, Cohen said, “though they rarely realized that Kirk was basically making it up for clicks and views”.
Truth right there.
Kirk fit into what Jamie Cohen, associate professor of media studies at Cuny Queens College, describes as a collective of “media martyrs”, a group of online voices who claim to be bravely countercultural. His tactics appealed particularly to young men who saw him as a “truthsayer”.
In Cohen's view, Kirk’s acolytes believed they had been marginalized in a culture that had deprioritized white men. They saw him “as brave and willing to say what others won’t”, Cohen said, “though they rarely realized that Kirk was basically making it up for clicks and views”.
Truth right there.
