Toxic Masculinity Goes Viral: Diving Into The Manosphere
Everything you need to know about alpha male culture online.
This special edition of the ‘infinite scroll newsletter’ pulls from an ‘infinite scroll podcast’ episode.
From shows like Adolescence to various alpha male podcasters, what once was a fringe space online is becoming increasingly mainstream.
Enter: The Manosphere.
The Manosphere is a term people use to describe a specific side of the internet — a collection of websites, forums, blogs and other types of content that completely oppose feminism.
As you can probably imagine, this side of the internet is vast — and much of it can be quite triggering, upsetting and disturbing. With that in mind, please be aware that this newsletter discusses topics around violence, toxic masculinity and misogyny. Reader discretion is advised.
Defining the Manosphere
The online manosphere is a dark side of the internet. It is widely understood as an umbrella term for the men’s rights movement— capitalising on the “gripes” that many men have with gender equality and the feminist movement at large.
Though this is a blanket statement, the users who operate in the manosphere typically have a unifying ideology believing that men (particularly white men) are actually the victims of contemporary gender relations. At its core, many manosphere— participants and Men’s Rights Activists see feminism as an obstacle to actualising their destiny of enforcing patriarchal gender roles.
As Deniese Kennedy-Kollar puts it in her book ‘Extremism and Radicalization in the Manosphere’: “The manosphere attracts disaffected, lonely, isolated, and unhappy young men… For many, it radicalizes their despair into anger and hatred and gives them an outside target on which to blame all their problems while celebrating aggressive masculinity.”
The ideological origins of the manosphere can be traced back to the 1970s men’s liberation movement. This, of course, was a response, or a “spin-off,” to the women’s liberation movement of the same decade. However, the term “manosphere” itself, goes back to 2009, first appearing on a Blogspot post to describe the various communities catering to men’s interests online.
The term was popularised years later when a man named Ian Ironwood — who was a pornography marketer — self-published a book called The Manosphere: A New Hope for Masculinity. Since then, journalists, podcasters and commentators have used the term to describe this space.
Theorising the Manosphere: Why Men Are Drawn to This Space
The manosphere is an international phenomenon. The anti-feminist ideology extends beyond country, culture and religion– showing just how powerful this kind of rhetoric and community can be.
That being said, theorising the manosphere is tough, but various experts have tried.
A journal article by Debbie Ging (a senior lecturer from Dublin City University) investigates the masculinities and anti-feminist sentiments that have emerged across the manosphere. Among her findings, she concludes that anti-feminist politics of the manosphere are rooted in extreme misogyny and personal attacks directed toward specific women— most of whom are publicly feminist.
As Ging notes, “[the findings] indicate a marked shift from a predominantly political to a broadly cultural discourse, including a move toward more visual, video- and meme-based articulations of men’s rights. This is accompanied by a greater preoccupation with men’s personal relationships and psychological and emotional pain rather than with collective political action.”
Other academics have pointed to the phenomenon of “aggrieved entitlement” to explain why men are drawn to the manosphere and Men’s Rights Activist groups.
To put it simply, aggrieved entitlement is a feeling of being owed certain privileges and a lifestyle— and is often associated with cis, straight, white men. And to many of these men, feminism and women’s rights pose a threat to the life they were “promised.”
“As the saying goes, when one is accustomed to privilege, equality feels like oppression. In the manosphere, feminism has been conflated with female superiority or the destruction of the masculine,” Kennedy-Kollar continues in her book. “At the heart of the manosphere’s anti-feminist misogyny is an insecurity about where they would find themselves in the social order if basic notions of masculinity were culturally redefined.”
It’s clear that questions of power (and the potential of losing it) propel the manosphere forward. To many of us, it’s obvious that men continue to hold positions of power across the board. You only need to look so far at the gender gaps in political leadership and senior positions in the workplace. But participants of the manosphere would say otherwise.
So, it’s worth questioning why these men feel threatened in such a way that pushes them to antifeminism and extreme misogyny.
To answer this, we need to understand what these sub-niches value.
Groups within the manosphere tend to define a person according to their Sexual Market Value (SMV), or their level of sexual desirability — both for men and women. And for "low-status men" — those who are seen as less desirable or aren't having sex — this often feeds into their sense of aggrieved entitlement.
As a result, by leaning into men’s rights activism and the wider manosphere, these men seek to keep economic and political power and social status firmly in their hands.
“For low-status men, it’s better to be in the middle of the social hierarchy where they get to enjoy at least some of that power than to be at the bottom with none of it,” Kennedy-Kollar adds.
Subcultures Within The Manosphere: Red-Pilled Ideology, Incels & PUA
Before we get into why the manosphere has become increasingly mainstream — and what that means for both men and women — it’s important to break down some of the most prominent subcultures that exist within it. Understanding these groups helps clarify the underlying beliefs that drive the movement.
One umbrella idea within the manosphere is the concept of being red-pilled. With the terminology coming from the Matrix, being ‘red-pilled’ is being aware of the (alleged) truth of the world— which includes “waking up” to feminist brainwashing and misandry.
Men’s Rights Activists have “taken the red pill.” But another prominent group that have been “red-pilled” are Incels.
Incels are probably the most widely recognised subculture within the manosphere. An incel is a portmanteau that stands for Involuntary Celibate.
Like other groups within the manosphere, incels operate from a worldview rooted in patriarchy, gender roles, and eugenics. They believe that they are owed sex — seeing women as gatekeepers to something they believe is their right. This perceived sexual rejection fuels resentment, not just toward women, but also toward so-called “Chads” (attractive, sexually successful men).
While incels were once relegated to obscure blogs and forums, they have increasingly found community online through mainstream platforms. And even though this group has been condemned and repeatedly banned for its misogynistic and dangerous rhetoric, spaces like Reddit and now X have become new avenues for this ideology to spread — helping bring it closer to the mainstream.
Another prominent group within the manosphere — and the last one we’ll discuss here — are pick-up artists. These men rely on a set of strategies and psychological tricks specifically designed to manipulate women into sleeping with them. Much of this ideology is rooted in Neil Strauss’ book The Game, which essentially offers a playbook on how to “win” women through manipulation rather than genuine connection.
One of the most well-known tactics in this space is “negging” — deliberately offering backhanded compliments to create insecurity in a woman, making her more likely to seek validation. Pick-up artists also teach men to “flip the script,” encouraging them to create a dynamic where the woman is trying to gain the man’s approval. This behaviour is undeniably predatory, built on power imbalances and coercion rather than mutual respect or attraction. What’s especially telling is that many men who identify as pick-up artists often struggle with romantic success and, instead of reflecting on themselves, turn to formulas and manipulation to gain control.
So, while the manosphere is diverse — spanning across multiple platforms, forums, and creators — its members are ultimately united by a shared "red-pilled" ideology. At its core, the manosphere promotes male supremacy, a shared sense of victimhood, and a tendency to blame women for changes in society that (allegedly) prioritise female empowerment. Despite their different approaches, they all feed into the same key belief: that feminism, equality and women's success comes at the cost of men’s power.
The Mainstream-ification of The Manosphere And Alpha Male Culture Online
After defining the manosphere and exploring some of its niches, it's not surprising that this corner of the internet (and the ideology that comes with it) started as a fringe movement.
But what was once seen as extreme is becoming increasingly mainstream.
We talk a lot about the broader shift toward conservatism online — from the rise of tradwives to aesthetics like quiet luxury, clean girl, and old money, all of which subtly (or not so subtly) lean into conservative values and the celebration of wealth.
This shift toward conservatism obviously poses significant threats to women, and other people who are not cis, white and straight. And while these aesthetic trends are harmful, none pose as great a threat than the manosphere’s move into the mainstream. Before we discuss why that is, let’s first investigate how this has happened.
Example: Gamergate
There are a couple central moments that have propelled the manosphere into normalcy. First and foremost is Gamergate. This was a massive harassment campaign in 2014 that targeted women who spoke out against misogyny in gaming. It all started when indie game developer Zoe Quinn released a game called Depression Quest. Soon after, an ex-boyfriend of Quinn posted a lengthy, invasive blog accusing her of cheating with several men in the gaming industry, reportedly to boost her career. One of those men was allegedly a writer for Kotaku, a major gaming publication, named Nathan Grayson. Although both Quinn and Grayson denied the accusations, waves of gamers swarmed Twitter, Reddit, and 4chan, claiming this was an “ethical breach" in gaming journalism.
While the Gamergaters claimed they were fighting to “expose” corruption by any means necessary, their actions were ultimately pure harassment. Women faced relentless abuse and threats, some so severe that the FBI got involved. One of the women aside from Quinn who faced this abuse, a commentator named Anita Sarkeesian, became a subject of a video game where people could beat her up.
Ultimately, the unchecked misogyny and pure violence of Gamergaters marked one of the first major collective hate campaigns against women coming from today's manosphere. Not only did these participants position their agenda through the mantle of victimhood and morality, but it was also a clear shift toward personalised attacks on women— a characteristic that's deeply embedded in the manosphere, as we have already touched on.
The Trump Effect
Establishing a kind of ethical and moral superiority has gone a long way in normalising the manosphere. This sense of victimhood— a mentality that (wrongfully) took off after the #MeToo movement— is an extremely powerful form of collective identity.
It can offer a sense of community. An explanation or excuse for why things may be bad. Or even a scapegoat.
Victimhood is a rallying emotion— an easy way to get people on board with a cause. And when it comes to the manosphere, this is largely what has permitted its expansion. And this attitude, of course, reflects society and politics on a more macro level.
This brings us to another reason why the manosphere has gone mainstream: the rise of people like Donald Trump and Elon Musk to positions of power. Here, there are two broad factors about Trump that have normalised the manosphere.
First, Trump is a man who has been held liable for sexual assault and said some pretty disgusting things about women. Unfortunately, this hasn't proven to be an obstacle to his pursuit of the U.S. presidency; instead, it only validated many of the manosphere's beliefs. Trump's public persona has led many men to see his ascendency as an opportunity to effectively push back against feminism… now that a "real" man is in the White House.
But the second and often overlooked factor is Trump's populist bent. Populism is generally understood as an ideology that attaches itself to other political movements and beliefs. At the core of populism, though, is a feeling of victimhood — that the elites are ripping the people off. By feeding into populist rhetoric, Trump has successfully shown the power of victimhood as an identity-definer, only further validating the manosphere's tendencies.
This, coupled with the way women’s rights have progressively been stripped back over the past decade, has emboldened the manosphere… and as a result, this side of the internet has become more palatable to the masses.
There were a couple of moments that sent this into overdrive. First, when Elon Musk bought Twitter and turned it into the misogynistic and discriminatory hell-hole that is now known as X. We don’t need to get into all of that now, but at the end of the day, X has become a hub for racism, misogyny, and lies — with much of this justified out of calls for free speech.
The second moment that really solidified the manosphere was the 2024 Presidential campaign when Trump, as the Republican nominee, validated the manosphere by appearing on a slew of popular podcasts among this demographic. From sharing the mic with Joe Rogan to Adin Ross to Theo Von, the most powerful man in the world was ready and willing to offer his stamp of approval.
And after Trump's win, things only escalated. Media commentary at the time epitomises this dynamic, with WIRED publishing an article titled: "Far-Right Donald Trump Supporters Celebrate His Victory With Violent Memes and Calls for Executions." Another example is Teen Vogue, which published a piece called "Emboldened By a Trump Win, Misogynists Are Being Loud Online."
The Rise of Alpha Male Influencers
This escalation is especially clear when we look at the types of influencers gaining popularity. In recent years, we’ve seen the rise — and normalisation — of so-called “alpha male” influencers, with Andrew Tate sitting at the helm.
Andrew Tate skyrocketed to viral fame in 2022 by sharing content that was framed as “advice,” often about how to “get women.”
This is something that Kennedy-Kollar highlighted in her book, noting that “groups of the manosphere often present themselves as promoting male empowerment and self-improvement, particularly in the area of relations with women, but are in fact misogynistic, radical anti-feminists who promote oppression and violence against women by exploiting a sense of aggrieved male entitlement.”
When it comes to Andrew Tate specifically, his grift went viral quite quickly. As The Guardian’s Shanti Das reported, “His rapid surge to fame was not by chance. Evidence obtained by the Observer shows that followers of Tate are being told to flood social media with videos of him, choosing the most controversial clips in order to achieve maximum views and engagement.”
At the time, many social media users were vocal in speaking out against Andrew Tate. But ultimately, the very fact that someone like him could go that viral (and so quickly) was a clear indicator of what was coming. These kinds of alpha-male creators once existed on the fringes of the internet, but his rise marked a turning point. It reflected a broader moral decay in the digital space, where shock value, outrage, and harmful ideologies are increasingly rewarded with attention and influence.
That being said, many social media users — even those who aren’t particularly political — can recognise how problematic someone like Andrew Tate is. But there are other creators who feed into the manosphere in more subtle ways, posting content that isn’t overtly misogynistic, yet still promotes the same underlying ideals.
One such example is Ashton Hall.
Hall recently went viral for his morning routine video. In it, he’s already up and out of bed before 4am, removing mouth and nose tape, brushing his teeth, working out, swimming — all timestamped. What caught people’s attention wasn’t just the intense structure of the routine, but the fact that he was being served meals by a faceless woman, raising questions around gender roles and dynamics.
There’s been a lot of commentary on the video — some of it poking fun, but much of it unpacking how this kind of content has become aspirational. Hall’s lifestyle is positioned as the pinnacle of masculinity and success. And while his version of manhood is more palatable compared to Andrew Tate’s, it still upholds an ideal where men are dominant, and catered to — just in a more aesthetically pleasing package.
As Sarah Manavis reiterates for The Guardian, “While many men may be turned off by the overtness of Tate, this doesn’t mean they are turned off to a world defined by masculine dominance. Content like this plays into an egocentric male fantasy that glorifies the impossible image of a perfectly sculpted physique and encourages men to hustle and grind to meet an austere, success-obsessed brand of individualism.”
Why does this matter?
All in all, the rise of this kind of content becomes increasingly concerning when we consider the broader asymmetry in the digital media landscape — a dynamic that allows for the manosphere to flourish. Social media users have been speculating for months that viral content online is veering toward conservatism and alt-right ideology — a hypothesis that Media Matters (a US-based not-for-profit progressive research and information centre) recently proved in a new study.
In a similar vein, Bloomberg analysed over 2000 videos from a range of YouTubers who are prominent in the Gen Z man’s media diet. Many of these creators are manosphere-adjacent, including some we’ve already mentioned like Adin Ross and Joe Rogan. The journalists found that, “above all, the broadcasters described American men as victims of a Democratic campaign to strip them of their power,” despite the fact that none of these creators explicitly positioned themselves as political commentators.
This shows how ideological messaging can still be embedded in content that doesn’t seem political on the surface. It’s part of what makes the manosphere and its beliefs so insidious.
They’re often dressed up as entertainment or self-improvement…making them easier to digest and harder to challenge.
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