Why is there so much more anti immigration sentiment NOW?

I agree that it's social media: men like Musk at the top stirring up hatred of immigrants and division. Why? And bots operated by bad actors all over the world spewing out Goebbels type propaganda.
Its not just racism either it's misogyny too. Appalling stuff that no newspaper would ever dare print.
Not sure what we can do, but for starters I think everyone should come off Musk's X.

Artificially inflated hardship by the Tory government over the last two decades combined with too much unskilled immigration with subsequent impact on infrastructure - hospitals, schools, roads, traffic etc. MNetters hate the immigration part of the explanation, but it’s true and as always it’s the working classes feeling the squeeze the most, so the average MNetter isn’t yet feeling the real pinch, but that won’t be forever, everyone’s going to be feeling it in a decade or two. People are angry and resentful and it’s easier to blame the supposed “incomers” rather than the political class, who are entirely to blame, but against whom we have no power and who cannot be ousted.

I think there’s just more access to right wing news than there was previously.
Plus easy scapegoat, can’t get a job- ‘they’re’ stealing them, can’t get a GP apt - too many people in the country etc.

What do you mean on the 4 censored channels we had back then?

I'm pretty sure The Sun and NOTW had bigotted rhetoric even then. Anti-immigrant rhetoric is not new to poorer working class areas.

We have dozens and dozens of news sources and unlimited sources of information. Stands to reason we'd hear more about it now.

Also, the UK population has grown a lot over the past 30 years, public services are failing and with the COL, who gets the blame?!

People become more racist in less prosperous times as they are looking for a quick solution to society’s problems/someone to blame. E.g. the nazis only came to power because Germany was such a mess after WWI.

There are other factors too. I remember anti-immigrant sentiment being very high in the run-up to the Brexit vote. Then it diminished for a bit as people thought there would be no more immigrants. Over the past few years it’s become clear that is not the case and people are angry all over again.

Social media too, yes. People express things online they would not dare to IRL.

As for people being more “woke” as you say, those are not the same people who are becoming more racist! Everything is extremely polarised.

I don’t recall immigration constantly being in the news when I was growing up 90s/00s.

Because the 24-hour news cycle didn't exist then. News providers have got a lot of website space and airtime to fill.

It's always been there, but it's very fashionable to be vocal about it these days.

Social media. It's given people licence to air opinions they might've just muttered under their breath or not spoken aloud at all. It's turning/turned society into a cesspit of hate and discrimination.

Scapegoating, social media and right wing press.

It’s always money.

Social media and the internet are likely having an impact and spreading racism and toxicity plus cost of living challenges and constant negative news reports relating to asylum seeker/immigrant behaviour.

However, as someone of mixed ethnicity and based on personal experiences, things are better compared with the 80s/90s (my childhood years!)