First-hand accounts from 38 men and one woman show just what goes on inside the manosphere.
The manosphere, described by Ofcom as an online space “dedicated to men’s issues,” is filled with various communities, from incels (involutary celebates) to “red pill” folks.
The direct definition provided in the report is “a loose agglomeration of blogs, websites, and forums dedicated to men's issues,” and literature suggests that misogynistic content may spread in these spaces. However, that may not always be the case.
While it’s perfectly normal for people to share online spaces, the manosphere presents an environment where misogyny could potentially run rampant.
Ofcom, the UK telecommunications regulator, put together a study which involved 38 men and one woman who have experience with the manosphere.
The UK regulator found that the manosphere is a fragmented body where often conflicting ideologies reside in the same space.
Many of the participants in the study felt that the term “manosphere” was “widely misunderstood” as it groups content in varying extremes, from “benign self-improvement advice to extreme misogyny,” Ofcom said in a summary of the research.
Humour plays a huge role in the manosphere, with most of the male participants stating that they were drawn to this space due to its “perceived humour.”
Other things that draw men in include irreverence, open debates, and free discussions, which some participants expressed are lacking in public discourse.
“Which was why they particularly valued self-improvement, fitness, personal agency, and motivational messaging in certain manosphere content,” Ofcom said.
While positive conversations about male issues are a facet of the manosphere, so is the red pill ideology, which could lead to the proliferation of misogynistic content.
The concept of “taking the red pill,” which is the process of realizing that dating between men and women is “inherently unfair, particularly for men deemed less attractive,” was a common thread among men within the study.
There are risks for harm within the manosphere, as some participants identified content, for example, sexualizing women in songs, as being harmful for the next generation of young men.
“A minority of participants described encountering extremely misogynistic content online - with the most extreme examples more likely to be found on closed groups or among Incel communities.”
Those who are, as Ofcom puts it, “socially isolated offline” did show more engagement within these communities and could risk “adopting harmful views or mindsets.”
The study also showed that there’s a shared language within these communities and particular jokes.
This sets barriers for entry, and those who “deviate from group norms are excluded or ostracised,” Ofcom detailed.
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