Thu Dec 11

From violence to sexism, the manosphere is doing real-world harm

Written by Stephanie Wescott, Lecturer in Humanities and Social Sciences, Monash University

There’s a lot of debate ^[1] around the extent to which the manosphere ^[2] is playing out in young people’s lives and relationships.

Some suggest claims about its malevolence are misplaced ^[3]. Others think just because something happens on the internet doesn’t mean it affects lives offline.

But this is in spite of a significant body of international evidence ^[4] demonstrating otherwise.

In this post-digital world ^[5], there is little or no delineation between what’s viewed and experienced online ^[6] and what’s lived in the “real world”. This means we have to consider the potential harms of the manosphere not as remote or abstract, but as very real, and not to be underestimated or dismissed.

From violence to sexism, the manosphere is doing real-world harm

The manosphere is a dark, but growing part of the internet that’s harming everyone who gets sucked into it. In this three-part series, Mapping the Manosphere, we’ve asked leading global experts how it works, what the dangers are and how this online phenomenon is playing out in real life. The gendered content spiral Broadly, the manosphere is centred on anti-feminist, misogynistic and anti-gender equity ideas and beliefs ^[7]. Content can initially appear harmless ^[8]. It presents information and insights on health, fitness and financial and career success. But these are generally founded on rigid gendered ideas, extreme and isolating pursuits of self-optimisation and unhealthy ideas about relationships with girls and women. New research ^[9] has identified a shift in the manosphere towards monetisation and entrepreneurialism ^[10], pseudoscientific wellness and alignment with extremist ideologies. Users may encounter content documenting extensive morning routines ^[11], beginning at 4am. These videos can involve multiple wellness-related rituals, recommendations for preserving testosterone and diatribes on men’s “natural” roles ^[12] as providers in families. The manosphere-adjacent content generated by tradwives and stay-at-home girlfriends ^[13] glamorises an aesthetic (and unrealistically curated) life. A woman performs a caring role in the home, eschewing feminist ideas and advocating for women’s return to the domestic sphere. It’s often connected to white supremacy and far-right conservatism. There’s evidence ^[14] boys can find manosphere content helpful and positive. Some seek validation and belonging in these spaces. This makes the need for them to engage with it critically even more prescient. Read more: Andrew Tate's extreme views about women are infiltrating Australian schools. We need a zero-tolerance response ^[15] Real world harm Research widely shows manosphere content causes harm both to the boys and men who consume it and to other people in their lives. Viewing manosphere content is known to contribute to unhealthy body image ^[16]. It’s also correlated with beliefs about violence being permissable ^[17]. Manosphere sentiments have been identified ^[18] among men who use violence. Our own research ^[19] into the influence of manosphere content on boys’ behaviour in schools has shown a shift in boys’ attitudes towards women and girls. Teachers report a discernible uptick ^[20] in incidents of gendered violence in their schools. There is also emerging concern ^[21] that manosphere content is contributing to a growing ideological shift among young men and young women. Across multiple countries, young men are voting more conservatively ^[22] than they used to. Further, there is abundant evidence that misogyny – a central theme in manosphere content – is a predictor of all forms of violence ^[23]. This includes gendered and extremist violence ^[24]. There are growing calls ^[25] to place misogyny at the centre our efforts to counter and prevent extremist violence. This means acknowledging the role of the manosphere in the process of radicalisation ^[26]. Racist and misogynistic attitudes have also been identified as an urgent concern for national security ^[27], given they are significant contributors to violent extremism. The next frontiers Alongside the established evidence, we’re seeing signs of where manosphere beliefs might manifest next, if they’re not already. In relationships and dating, advice circulating in manosphere spaces will continue to frame intimacy in transactional and manipulative terms. This will erode trust and mutual respect, while normalising male entitlement ^[28] in relationships. Over time, such messages risk reshaping, or regressing, expectations ^[29] around dating, partnership and consent. The manosphere frames work and study as competitive arenas ^[30]. Discourses around “high-value men” and “grindset” culture blame feminism or “soft” values for perceived failures or inefficiencies. This narrative positions career success as a masculine duty while dismissing collaboration and diversity, with long-term consequences for equity in schools and workplaces. Finally, manosphere narratives of crisis and decline dovetail with populist politics. In the United States, aggrieved male voters have been central to Donald Trump’s ^[31] rise, attracted to his performance of strongman masculinity ^[32]. Similar dynamics may surface elsewhere as leaders draw on themes of protection, grievance and a return to “traditional” order. Where to from here? The danger with manosphere content is that it exaggerates and exploits real (and perceived) problems ^[33], issues and grievances ^[34] among boys and men. This means it’s becoming increasingly confusing to distinguish what are legitimate and reasonable concerns among young men, what has been manufactured ^[35] and how victimhood can be constructed by manosphere ideologies. Explicitly honing young people’s critical digital literacy ^[36] is an approach committed to empowering young people to become more discerning ^[37]: to question not only what they are viewing, but its ideologies, how it makes them feel, and how platforms are designed to provoke particular responses. These skills promote the development of critical dispositions ^[38]: essential lifelong skills that will help them to consume information in a more informed, less reactive way. Critical literacy in kids helps them to become adults who are informed and discerning, and therefore, empowered.

References

^{^} debate (www.theguardian.com)
^{^} manosphere (journals.sagepub.com)
^{^} misplaced (theconversation.com)
^{^} evidence (news.un.org)
^{^} post-digital world (doi.org)
^{^} viewed and experienced online (stories.theconversation.com)
^{^} ideas and beliefs (journals.sagepub.com)
^{^} harmless (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
^{^} New research (doi.org)
^{^} monetisation and entrepreneurialism (theconversation.com)
^{^} morning routines (www.gq-magazine.co.uk)
^{^} men’s “natural” roles (ijoc.org)
^{^} tradwives and stay-at-home girlfriends (journals.sagepub.com)
^{^} evidence (www.esafety.gov.au)
^{^} Andrew Tate's extreme views about women are infiltrating Australian schools. We need a zero-tolerance response (theconversation.com)
^{^} unhealthy body image (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
^{^} violence being permissable (www.womensaid.org.uk)
^{^} identified (www.tandfonline.com)
^{^} research (www.tandfonline.com)
^{^} discernible uptick (www.abc.net.au)
^{^} emerging concern (journals.sagepub.com)
^{^} more conservatively (glocalities.com)
^{^} all forms of violence (www.tandfonline.com)
^{^} extremist violence (www.tandfonline.com)
^{^} growing calls (press.princeton.edu)
^{^} process of radicalisation (www.routledge.com)
^{^} urgent concern for national security (findanexpert.unimelb.edu.au)
^{^} normalising male entitlement (www.abc.net.au)
^{^} reshaping, or regressing, expectations (www.instagram.com)
^{^} competitive arenas (theconversation.com)
^{^} Donald Trump’s (www.bbc.com)
^{^} strongman masculinity (blog.aare.edu.au)
^{^} real (and perceived) problems (www.transformingsociety.co.uk)
^{^} grievances (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
^{^} what has been manufactured (journals.sagepub.com)
^{^} critical digital literacy (www.tandfonline.com)
^{^} more discerning (www.routledge.com)
^{^} critical dispositions (link.springer.com)

Authors: Stephanie Wescott, Lecturer in Humanities and Social Sciences, Monash University

Business News

From violence to sexism, the manosphere is doing real-world harm

References

Vacancies increase sharply in outer Sydn…

What’s the Difference Between a Caravan …

Making these five clever moving mistakes…

Prime Minister interview with Karl Stefa…

Aussie Road Trip – Everything You Need t…

The Weekend Times Magazine

Diamonds & Why They Are The Popular Choice For Any Occasion Here In Australia

Box Mixers launches at home cocktail mixers

The Importance of Commercial Fencing: Enhancing Security and Aesthetics

Parrtjima opens in Australia’s Red Centre

How to work from home and not get divorced

Eradicate Sugar To Aid Good Mental Health

How Custom Made Inflatables Can Turn Your Backyard into a Kids' Wonderland

Lifestyle Awnings – Bringing Style and Comfort to Melbourne Outdoor Living

How Homeowners Can Prepare for Asbestos Removal in Melbourne