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 subscriptions to create a ranked list:

* China - 1852637000

* India - 1200170910

* United States - 505719000

* Indonesia - 464967914

* Brazil - 265158564

* Russian Federation - 258214661

* Japan - 210519139

* Philippines - 176599291

* Bangladesh - 152409669

* Pakistan - 146355310

* Nigeria - 144994174

* Germany - 139217000

* Mexico - 131458662

* Vietnam - 131286117

* Thailand - 129738000

* Egypt - 108181505

* United Kingdom - 105189476

* Italy - 100457919

* France - 97446000

* Iran - 97164277

* South Africa - 93576635

* Turkey - 89725075

* South Korea - 84854606

* Argentina - 69767601

* Colombia - 68540947

* Spain - 66958543

* Ethiopia - 63197120

* Ukraine - 60954476

* Poland - 56881929

* Algeria - 53040296

* Myanmar - 48356160

* Canada - 45381104

* Morocco - 45294933

* Malaysia - 45026300

* Kenya - 43103412

* Saudi Arabia - 42709657

* Tanzania - 41802027

* Peru - 41225603

* Ghana - 36808571

* Nepal - 36096396

* Australia - 35476000

* Democratic Republic of the Congo - 35271156

* Taiwan - 34490976

* Iraq - 33335316

* Côte d’Ivoire - 31890058

* Sri Lanka - 29419587

* Kazakhstan - 29046500

* Sudan - 28675221

* Netherlands - 27742800

* Uzbekistan - 27585670

* Romania - 27330000

* Venezuela - 27103805

* Chile - 26072126

* Uganda - 25094643

* Afghanistan - 23946523

* Hong Kong - 20986099

* Guatemala - 19986482

* United Arab Emirates - 19826224

* Cameroon - 19748144

* Cambodia - 18702623

* Burkina Faso - 17960442

* Austria - 17435540

* Syrian Arab Republic - 16804909

* Greece - 16715369

* Belgium - 16340062

* Sweden - 16171593

* Senegal - 15870161

* Czech Republic - 15695534

* Ecuador - 15565345

* Portugal - 15338153

* Switzerland - 15142000

* Tunisia - 15135865

* Hungary - 14987525

* Belarus - 14578427

* Zimbabwe - 14279414

* Zambia - 13474451

* Angola - 13420871

* Israel - 12882000

* Azerbaijan - 11932214

* Mozambique - 11917159

* Bolivia - 11321904

* El Salvador - 10424913

* Bulgaria - 10297690

* Serbia - 10101873

* Singapore - 9933200

* Costa Rica - 9584401

* Dominican Republic - 9555585

* Denmark - 9453730

* Finland - 9017200

* Rwanda - 8840997

* Benin - 8801877

* Niger - 8787534

* Madagascar - 8755561

* Slovakia - 8522504

* Honduras - 8466489

* Nicaragua - 8390000

* New Zealand - 7982000

* Norway - 7855360

* Malawi - 7781723

Follower Composition of Major Influencers

Nick Fuentes - America First?

* The Network Contagion Research Institute reported (in December 2025) that ~50% of retweets on Nick Fuentes most viral posts originated from foreign accounts before Kirk’s death.

* These were heavily concentrated in countries like India, Pakistan, Nigeria, Malaysia, and Indonesia (with additional shares from the UK and Canada among foreign sources). Non-Western countries made up the majority of the foreign retweets.

* The NY Post reported that the pattern matched known engagement farm/bot activity (rapid, coordinated retweets shortly after posting, often from anonymous/single-purpose accounts), with no clear organic tie to Fuentes’ “America First” content in those regions.

Tucker Carlson - Pakistani Icon?

Tucker Carlson’s popularity among a Pakistani audience surged due to his outspoken criticism of liberal Western culture, his advocacy for Palestinian rights, and a viral 2025 interview where he stated he had more in common with a “sincerely religious Pakistani cab driver” than with secular, liberal Western elites

That said, Tucker Carlson Network (TCN) website traffic (as of early 2025 data) indicates:

* ~82% from the United States

* ~2.6% from Australia

* ~2.05% UK

* ~1.98 Canada

* ~1.67 Russia

* No notable Pakistan or South Asian spike in the available breakdown.

On YouTube and X, independent estimates show moderate U.S.-heavy performance, with some international growth noted in the Middle East/Gulf due to his anti-war/anti-interventionist takes (e.g., on Iran), but nothing indicating dominance by Pakistan or similar countries.

Some X posts and memes joke about his audience shifting to “Pakistan, Iran, Russia” amid his criticism of U.S. foreign policy (especially on Iran). These are often mocking, not serious analysis (e.g., claims of “closeted gay Muslims in Pakistan” as his base or similar). Pakistani users sometimes push back, noting low actual awareness of him domestically

Andrew Tate: Indian Hustler?

* Google search interest and anecdotal reporting (+ reporting form the Guardian) indicate higher per-capita interest in Muslim-majority countries (e.g., parts of the Middle East, Pakistan, Indonesia, Malaysia) than in the UK/US.

* Popularity also noted in India, Brazil, and other Global South areas

* Tate’s 2022 conversion to Islam boosted this

* Much of Tate’s international reach comes from short-form content amplified by algorithms and affiliate promoters in ...