War on Women on the Web
Something is brewing online. A storm of twisted ideas and misinformation—the 'Manosphere.' Where did it begin, and how did it gain power?
Beneath the surface of the internet lies a network of communities where misogyny thrives. From 'Incels' to 'MGTOW,' the so-called 'manosphere' is waging an online war of misinformation on women.
This story is about online groups that fuel gender-based culture wars by promoting hatred.
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Introduction and History
The internet is home to subcultures that share resentment, the "manosphere." These online communities, though different in their approaches, are united by a belief in the "Red Pill ," , claiming that we live in a “Gynocracy” — a society where women hold power and men are oppressed.
Members of the manosphere have different ideas about how men should respond to what they see as an unfair society.
Some subcultures focus on trying to “prove” their negative views of women by presenting scientifically-established "evidence".
While other groups take a more extreme approach, expressing their views through openly violent language.
One well-known subgroup is the “Incels,” or involuntary celibates. They believe they are unfairly denied romantic and sexual relationships due the belief in the growing Gynocracy.
Another group, known as “Men Going Their Own Way” (MGTOW), instead choose to avoid women and female institutions entirely.
"Red Pill"?
The Red Pill is a term that emerged from a movie, The Matrix.
In The Matrix, the Red Pill reveals the harsh hidden truth of reality, whereas the Blue Pill symbolizes living in willful ignorance.
In the manosphere, the Red Pill is a metaphor for awakening to what they believe is the hidden truth of society: that men are oppressed by a system dominated by women.
To them, it demostrates rejecting feminist ideas and embracing a worldview that blames women for societal problems and male disenfranchisement.
Why is this Important?
While many in the manosphere focus solely on hating women within their online communities, others expand their views and become more involved in politics.
For instance, many in the manosphere saw Donald Trump as a political vehicle for their beliefs, quickly backing him for the US presidency.
However, members of the manosphere have sometimes clashed with other right-wing extremist groups.
For example, some white nationalists believe in "protecting" white women, but some members of the manosphere are often openly hostile toward them.
As the manosphere appears to be growing, these online communities may in turn have increased influence on recruiting more boys and men to its cause.
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References
- Ann-Kathrin Rothermel. 2023. “ The Role of Evidence-Based Misogyny in Antifeminist Online Communities of the ‘Manosphere.’ ” Big Data & Society 10(1)
- Jillian Sunderland. 2023. “ Fighting for Masculine Hegemony: Contestation between Alt-Right and White Nationalist Masculinities on Stormfront .” Men and Masculinities 26(1):3–23.
- Pierce Alexander Dignam and Deana A. Rohlinger. 2019. “ Misogynistic Men Online: How the Red Pill Helped Elect Trump .” Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society 44(3):589–612.
- Stephane Baele, Lewys Brace, and Debbie Ging. 2023. “ A Diachronic Cross-Platforms Analysis of Violent Extremist Language in the Incel Online Ecosystem .” Terrorism and Political Violence 1–24.
- Scott Wright, Verity Trott, and Callum Jones. 2020. “ ‘The Pussy Ain’t Worth It, Bro’: Assessing the Discourse and Structure of MGTOW .” Information, Communication & Society 23(6):908–25.
