The Rise of ‘Decline Porn’: How Fake AI Videos are Taking Over Social Media

A wave of deepfake videos has been making the rounds on social media, purporting to show scenes of urban decline in the UK. These videos, often absurd and exaggerated, have been dubbed ‘decline porn’ and are fuelling anger and racist backlash among some viewers.

The Creator Behind the Videos

The BBC tracked down the originator of the videos, who goes by the online handle RadialB. RadialB claims his content is intended to be humorous, but also wants people to believe his fake scenes are real to grab their attention. He uses AI models to generate the videos, which often feature ‘roadmen’ – a slang term for urban youth – in absurd scenarios.

The Impact of the Videos

The videos have sparked a wave of copycat accounts, with millions of views across TikTok and Instagram Reels. However, many of the comments on the videos are racist and divisive, with some viewers taking the content at face value. RadialB acknowledges the videos provoke political reactions, but claims some of the comments are ironic.

The Broader Trend

The ‘decline porn’ trend is part of a larger narrative that portrays Western cities as overrun with immigrants and crime. This narrative is often exaggerated or fabricated, and is fuelling anger and racist backlash among some viewers. The use of AI-generated videos is making it easier for creators to produce and disseminate this type of content, which can have serious consequences for communities and individuals.

The Role of Social Media Platforms

Social media platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, and X have policies in place to prohibit racist abuse and remove hateful content. However, the proliferation of ‘decline porn’ videos raises questions about the effectiveness of these policies and the responsibility of social media platforms to regulate this type of content.