What is the manosphere and why should we care?

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.

One growing corner of the digital world is the “manosphere:” a loose network of communities that claim to address men’s struggles – dating, fitness or fatherhood, for example – but often promote harmful advice and attitudes. As the United Nations Secretary General’s report on violence against women and girls highlights, these groups are united by an opposition to feminism and misrepresent men as “victims” of the current social and political climate.

This content is also gaining traction. According to the Movember Foundation, a leading men’s health organization and UN Women partner, two-thirds of young men regularly engage with masculinity influencers online. Experts are finding that the popularity of extreme language in the manosphere not only normalizes violence against women and girls, but has growing links to radicalization and extremist ideologies.

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