Mapping the GerManosphere: A Pilot Study

Misogynistic online milieus threaten liberal democracy in many ways. Repeatedly, these scenes have produced militant individual offenders. They also serve as spaces for dehumanisation and radicalisation. They act as recruitment platforms for right-wing extremist and, in some cases, Islamist movements, because despite ideological differences, these groups are united by a belief in natural gender inequality and male supremacy.

The misogynistic mindset of the Manosphere supports world views that are incompatible with individual freedom, equality before the law and democratic participation. A pilot study entitled “Mapping the GerManosphere” is the first to comprehensively analyse misogynistic online milieus, the so-called “Mannosphäre”, on the German-speaking Internet. “Mannosphäre” is a collective term for groups such as ‘incels’, ‘pick-up artists’ and ‘men’s rights activists’. Followers of these groups propagate misogyny, reject feminism and liberal social orders and spread fantasies of violence. The study was conducted by the Cluster of Excellence “Contestations of the Liberal Script (SCRIPTS)” at Freie Universität Berlin in collaboration with the Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD).

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