Episode Details

The internet has fundamentally changed — and almost no one has noticed. In this episode of Based Camp, Malcolm and Simone Collins break down how the explosion of global internet users (especially from India, Pakistan, Indonesia, Brazil, Bangladesh, Nigeria, and other developing nations) has dramatically reshaped online discourse on both the left and the right.

They explore:

* Why environmentalism, anti-Black racism, and anti-Hispanic racism faded from leftist priorities while Gaza, Pakistan, Jews, and “Hindu Indians” suddenly dominate

* Audience capture, botting, and engagement farming

* Why certain right-wing creators (Tucker Carlson, Nick Fuentes, Andrew Tate) shifted toward international/Islamic audiences

* The hidden influence of third-world users on Western political conversation

* Christian-majority vs. non-Western audience patterns

* And why the “online right” often feels disconnected from actual American conservatives

A paradigm-shifting look at how the internet is no longer majority American — and what that means for culture, politics, and influence.

Show Notes

* In terms of sheer internet users (using broadband and mobile internet subscriptions as a proxy), there is only one Western nation—the USA—represented in the top ten countries represented

* (top representation = China, India, theU SA, Indonesia, Brasil, Russia, Japan, the Philippines, Bangladesh, and Pakistan).

* Contrast this to 2008, when the top users of the internet were:

* China (but doesn’t count, due to the great firewall of China)

* And then the USA, Japan, Germany, the UK, France, and Brazil

* In terms of broadband: Leading countries by total subscribers or penetration included the US, China, Japan, South Korea, Germany, France, UK, and Canada.

* So functionally: Mostly Western nations were represented online

Could this be why the left shifted from discourse about LGBT and climate change to discourse about Palestine?

Internet + Broadband Subscriptions: Then and Now

Internet/Broadband Subscriptions in 2008

Leading countries by total subscribers or penetration included the US, China, Japan, South Korea, Germany, France, UK, and Canada.

Mobile + Broadband:

* China: ~253 million (June/July 2008; some estimates ~180–220 million by end-2008). China surpassed the US mid-year.

* United States: ~220–230 million (active/home users ~150 million in early 2008 per Nielsen).

* Japan: ~80–90+ million (active home users ~47–48 million in early 2008).

* Germany: ~40–50+ million (active home ~35 million).

* UK, France, Brazil, etc.: Lower but still in the top tier (e.g., UK/France ~25 million active home users; Brazil growing rapidly).

Internet/Broadband Subscriptions Today

Dominated by:

* China

* India

* USA

* Indonesia

* Brazil

* Russia

* Japan

* The Philippines

* Bangladesh

* Pakistan

The USA is the only “western” country represented on the top ten list.

Pulling from Wikipedia’s list of sovereign states by number of broadband Internet subscriptions, I combined mobile + broadband internet subscription