The Rise of the Aggro-rithm

Client: Vodafone

Misogyny is dramatically rising amongst young boys, fuelled partly by influencers like Andrew Tate. But also, AI powered algorithms are pushing more and more of this dangerous content to boys online and impacting impressionable young minds.

The problem is, AI-powered algorithms are an invisible force and their impact is almost impossible for parents, caregivers and teachers to fully understand. Vodafone wanted to change this and demonstrate its work in making the internet a safer place. To highlight the problem, we needed to make the invisible visible. With a taskforce of key opinion leaders, Vodafone lifted the lid on harmful algorithms. Our hard-hitting campaign revealed that boys are being served harmful content in as little as 60 seconds of being online, and 6 in 10 have been exposed to misogynistic viewpoints. This was coupled with a powerful piece of video content telling the story of teenager Olly whose world view – and behaviour towards his family and friends – becomes increasingly warped by his ‘new friend’ Al. The finale of the video reveals that Al isn’t in fact a new friend but a personification of Olly’s online algorithm. And we secured: • 280 media articles, and lead news story on GMB • 3.7m video views, 40,000 clicks, 1,000+ petition signatures • 55 MPs engaged. Meetings secured with Ofcom’s Online Safety Team • Inclusion in coverage of Labour’s plan to tackle misogyny in schools • +28% increase in agreement that Vodafone is a brand that pushes for change in online safety