What is the manosphere and why should we care? — Berenstein Bears recopy
WITH more than 5.5 billion people online – and nearly as many on social media – digital spaces have become central to how we learn and connect. But alongside its benefits, the internet is also being used to spread hate, abuse and misogyny, UN Women highlights on its website.
One growing corner of the digital world is the “manosphere”: a loose network of online forums and communities that claim to address men’s struggles – like dating, fitness or fatherhood – but often promote ultra masculinism and misogyny.
According to the United Nations Secretary General’s report on violence against women and girls, these groups are united by an opposition to feminism and misrepresent men as “victims” of the current social and political climate.
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Over the years, the manosphere has not so quietly spread its influence in digital spaces, entrenching themselves in the lives of many young men. The Movember Foundation, a leading men’s health organisation and UN Women partner, notes that two-thirds of young men regularly engage with masculinity influencers online.
In a 2023 study by Equimundo Centre for Masculinities and Social Justice, 40% of adult American men and half of younger men said they trust one or more “men’s rights”, anti-feminist or pro-violence voices from the manosphere.
UN Women has since flagged the manosphere as a concern, stating that the popularity of extreme language within the community not only normalises violence against women and girls, but also has growing links to radicalisation and extremist ideologies. Here the UN organisation dedicated to gender equality and empowerment of women explains what the manosphere is and why we should care:
> What is the manosphere?
The manosphere is an umbrella term for online communities that champion “male supremacy” by promoting narrow and aggressive definitions of masculinity while providing harmful advice and attitudes to “men’s problems”.
According to the manosphere, what makes a man is emotional control, material wealth, physical appearance and dominance over women. These communities also falsely blame feminism and gender equality for curbing men’s rights.
The manosphere targets male audiences in digital spaces such as social media, podcasts, gamer communities and dating apps.
> Why does the manosphere appeal to young men online?
The extreme content of the manosphere tends to appeal the most to young men who feel isolated, says UN Women.
According to Equimundo’s 2023 report, two-thirds of young men feel “no one really knows me”.
Many unwittingly engage with the manosphere while searching for forums and tips on fitness, dating, cryptocurrency and other men’s issues. While the content may appear focused on men’s self-improvement, many of these groups promote unhealthy behaviours like telling boys and men to build themselves up by putting others down. Many of these young men say the found the content entertaining or motivating, according to the Movember Foundation survey.
> What’s up with the misogyny from the manosphere?
Here are some of the myths and pseudoscience the manosphere promotes:
- Involuntary celibates (incels) are those who believe men are entitled to sex and women purposefully deprive them of it. Extremist incel culture promotes rape and assault and has elements of racism. UN Women notes that incels have been linked to acts of mass violence.
- Men’s Rights Activists (MRAs) claim that feminism and women’s rights have disadvantaged men. The MRA ideology suggests society is dominated by women’s interests.
- Pick-up artists (PUAs) teach members how to coerce women into sex and mock the idea of sexual consent.
- Men Going Their Own Way (MGTOW) movement believes society is rigged against men and that it is best to avoid women and even mainstream society altogether.
The manosphere also has its own slang that are often laced with gendered hate speech, with terms like “to be redpilled” (taken from The Matrix trilogy) which, to the manosphere, means waking up to the reality that the world favours women over men.
> What are the dangers and real-world impact of the manosphere?
The dangers of the manosphere isn’t limited to just violence against women. In this war, all sides lose.
Equimundo’s study found that men with restrictive gender attitudes are more likely to engage in harmful behaviours like risk-taking and substance abuse, as well as becoming more prone to depression and suicidal thoughts.
Meanwhile, the Movember survey found that young men who actively engage with manosphere influencers reported higher levels of worthlessness and nervousness, were more likely to take performance-enhancing supplements and workout despite an injury, were less likely to prioritise their mental health and placed more emphasis on wealth and popularity among their male friends.
Unsurprisingly, an international survey found that Gen Z are the most exposed to such alpha male rhetoric online, and that younger men today are more likely to hold regressive ideas about gender roles than older men. Another research also suggests that the manosphere could potentially be a pathway towards radicalisation, as the men and boys who enter the manosphere tend to feel alienated from mainstream society.
> How can you spot signs of manosphere radicalisation?
Guardians, caregivers, friends and family members can look out for some of these behaviours:
- Social withdrawal and becoming secretive about online activities
- Using more gendered hate speech or rigid gender beliefs held by extremist groups
- Negative changes in behaviour and attitudes, including greater distrust and hostility towards women or unhealthy obsessions with “manliness”
- Using humour that dehumanises others, especially women and girls
- Sexual harassment, including name calling or sexualising the appearance of girls and women, such as teachers
> How can we counter this pervasive manosphere then?
UN Women suggests that we need to challenge their harmful beliefs, starting with conversation.
- Promote healthy masculinity in the digital age
* Value empathy and communication, as opposed to stoicism or isolation
* Build relationships based on trust, not dominance or status
* Normalise emotional expression and show that it’s safe to be vulnerable
* Model respect and ways to have healthy disagreements
* Point out and discuss gender stereotypes in media
- Teach media literacy to resist digital hate and pseudoscience
* Teach young men to ask questions like “who made this, why and what’s missing?”
* Teach young men to check multiple sources before believing in data and how to spot red flags such as misuse of data and emotionally charged language
- Address misogyny head-on
As important as it is to shift attitudes through conversation, we also need to strengthen laws. UN Women proposes for policymakers, funders and tech companies to:
- Strengthen existing policies on violence against women and girls to prohibit digital violence and improve capacities to investigate and prosecute crimes freely
- Hold the technology industry accountable for the spread of harmful content that normalises violence
- Promote greater transparency across digital platforms
- Build cooperation between state regulators and industry on laws for safer digital spaces
- Empower survivors of digital abuse by including their input in developing new policies and include women’s safety experts in the testing of new technologies
- Close data gaps on the manosphere’s influence and entry points for extremist idealogies
- Invest in digital citizenship to equip young people with the tools to recognise and reject online hate
- Form partnerships with civil society organisations and influencers to counter extremist content
- Invest in programmes, including mental health initiatives for men and boys, groups promoting positive masculinities and evidence-based interventions to prevent radicalisation.
Source: UN Women
