The manosphere is “a loose online network of anti-feminist radical forums and websites dedicated to issues relating to men and masculinity” (McGlashan & Krendel 2024: 87), gender dynamics, and men’s issues. While the manosphere encompasses various ideologies and communities, it is often characterized by its critique of feminism and its focus on men’s rights and misogyny (Heritage & Koller 2020, Jones et al. 2020, Krendel 2020, Dayter & Rüdiger 2022, Krendel et al. 2022, Lawson 2023, McGlashan & Krendel 2024).

Origins and Evolution

The manosphere emerged in the digital age, fueled by the proliferation of internet forums, blogs, and social media platforms. Its roots can be traced back to the men’s liberation movement of the 1970s and 80s, which sought to challenge traditional gender roles and advocate for men’s rights. Over time, the manosphere diversified into distinct subgroups, each with its own set of beliefs and priorities (Ging 2019, Jones et al. 2020, Horta Robeiro et al. 2021). The term gained prominence when news media started reporting on men who engaged in misogynist violence, sexual assault, and online harassment.

Men’s Rights Activism and Gender Equality

One prominent facet of the manosphere is the Men’s Rights Activists (MRAs) community. MRAs advocate for men’s rights in areas such as family court, child custody, and domestic violence laws. While some MRAs engage in constructive dialogue about gender equality, others perpetuate harmful stereotypes and conspiracy theories. Scientific studies have explored the impact of MRAs’ activism on public discourse and policy debates, shedding light on the complexities of gender-related legal issues (Sugiura 2021).

Involuntary Celibacy and Mental Health

The incel community, short for “involuntary celibates,” has gained notoriety within the manosphere. Incels are individuals who struggle with forming romantic and sexual relationships. Scientific research has examined the mental health implications of involuntary celibacy, including feelings of isolation, depression, and social anxiety (Costello et al. 2022, Tastenhoye et al. 2023). Understanding the psychological factors driving incel ideology is crucial for addressing the associated risks and promoting healthier coping mechanisms.

Radicalization and Violence

The manosphere has faced criticism for its potential role in radicalizing individuals, particularly young men, toward misogynistic beliefs and violent actions. Some studies have explored the link between exposure to manosphere content and extremist ideologies (Farrell et al. 2019, 2020, Jones et al. 2020, Van Valkenburgh 2018, Ging 2019). Researchers emphasize the need for nuanced analyses that consider the interplay of online communities, mental health, and real-world violence. As society grapples with the impact of online radicalization, scientific inquiry remains essential for informed policy and prevention strategies.

In conclusion, the manosphere is a complex digital landscape where discussions about masculinity intersect with legal, psychological, and societal dimensions. By examining scientific studies, we can better understand the motivations, risks, and implications associated with this online subculture.

References

Costello, W., Rolon, V., Thomas, A.G. et al. (2022), Levels of Well-Being Among Men Who Are Incel (Involuntarily Celibate). Evolutionary Psychological Science 8, pp. 375–390. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40806-022-00336-x

Dayter, D., & Rüdiger, S. (2022). The Language of Pick-Up Artists: Online Discourses of the  Seduction Industry. Routledge.  https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003041313

Farrell, T., Fernandez, M., Novotny, J., Alani, H. (2019). "Exploring Misogyny across the Manosphere in Reddit" . WebSci '19: Proceedings of the 10th ACM Conference on Web Science. New York: Association for Computing Machinery. pp. 87–96. https://doi.org/10.1145%2F3292522.3326045

Farrell, T., Araque, O., Fernandez, M., Alani, H. (2020). "On the use of Jargon and Word Embeddings to Explore Subculture within the Reddit's Manosphere". WebSci '20: Proceedings of the 12th ACM Conference on Web Science. New York: Association for Computing Machinery. pp. 221–230. https://doi.org/10.1145%2F3394231.3397912

Ging, D. (2019). Alphas, Betas, and Incels: Theorizing the Masculinities of the Manosphere. Men and Masculinities, 22(4), pp. 638-657. https://doi.org/10.1177/1097184X17706401

Heritage, F., & Koller, V. (2020). Incels, in-groups, and ideologies: The representation of gendered social actors in a sexuality-based online community. Journal of Language and Sexuality, 9(2), pp. 153–180. https://doi.org/10.1075/jls.19014.her

Horta Ribeiro, M., Blackburn, J., Bradlyn, B., De Cristofaro, E., Stringhini, G., Long, S., Greenberg, S., & Zannettou, S. (2021). The Evolution of the Manosphere across the Web. Proceedings of the International AAAI Conference on Web and Social Media, 15(1), pp. 196-207. https://doi.org/10.1609/icwsm.v15i1.18053

Jones, C., Trott, V., &Wright, S. (2020). Sluts and soyboys: MGTOW and the production of misogynistic online harassment, New Media and Society, 22(10), pp. 1903–1921. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444819887141

Krendel, A. (2020). The men and women, guys and girls of the ‘manosphere’: A corpus-assisted discourse approach. Discourse & Society, 31(6), pp. 607–630. https://doi.org/10.1177/0957926520939690

Krendel, A., McGlashan, M., & Koller, V. (2022). The representation of gendered social actors across five manosphere communities on Reddit. Corpora, 17(2), pp. 291–321. https://doi.org/10.3366/cor.2022.0257

Lawson, R. (2023), Language and Mediated Masculinities: Cultures, Contexts, Constraints, New York, NY: Oxford University Press

Marwick, A. E., & Caplan, R. (2018). Drinking male tears: language, the manosphere, and networked harassment. Feminist Media Studies, 18(4), pp. 543–559. https://doi.org/10.1080/14680777.2018.1450568  

McGlashan M., Krendel A. (2024). Keywords of the manosphere. International Journal of Corpus Linguistics 29(1), pp. 87–115. https://doi.org/10.1075/ijcl.22053.mcg

Sugiura, L. (2021), The Incel Rebellion: The Rise of the Manosphere and the Virtual War Against Women, Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-83982-254-420211004

Tastenhoye, C. A., Dupré, J., Ross, N., Bodnar, T.V., Friedman, S.H. (2023) Incels: An Introduction for Mental Health Clinicians. Journal of Psychiatric Practice 29(5), pp. 384-389, https://doi.org/10.1097/pra.0000000000000738

Van Valkenburgh, S.P. (2018). "Digesting the Red Pill: Masculinity and Neoliberalism in the Manosphere". Men and Masculinities. 24, pp. 84–103. https://doi.org/10.1177/1097184X18816118