It's kind of fascinating that he can see how counter productive social media pile ons can be to changing people's minds whilst missing key points:
"How did this happen? In a cruel twist of fate, those who support the protection and expansion of trans rights are, in my view, partly responsible for this.
Those who oppose trans rights now seek to portray transgender people as an existential threat
From my time working in social media, I’ve seen a clear pattern play out: criticise someone once and they might repent, but criticise someone a hundred times and you’ll only solidify views they might once have held loosely – driving them into the arms of those who validate those beliefs instead.
The multiplier effect of social media, more commonly called the ‘pile on’, creates the perception of an angry mob assailing someone from all sides.
Algorithms, programmed for engagement and attention, warp our often well-meaning intentions, turning isolated instances of valid criticism and attempts to correct into a tidal wave of digital sound and fury that can overwhelm even the most hardened internet native"
The complete gloss over of the nature of these pile ons here is astonishing. This is not a cruel twist of fate where individual well meaning valid criticisms and are multiplied up into something overwhelming.
As if all JKR and GL have to put up with is thousands of "I disagree with you because...." "I'm disappointed that..."
The algorithm multiplier effect doesn't convert your 'valid criticisms' into raging rape and death threats, or even into nonsensical circular arguments.
I think both sides represent the other as an existential threat and that is why the debate has gotten so heated and polarised. Both sides feel that rights are under threat.
But only one side is actually removing the other from language by saying that transwomen are women but removing the word women from those it belongs to and leaving us as discombobulated parts which birth/feed/menstruate.
Only one side are actually removing rights from the other by denying female prisoners the right to spaces free from male rapists and murderers.