Manosphere: How misogyny gets clicks
Misogyny is no longer a fringe phenomenon; it is spread en masse on social media . In the so-called "manosphere," men portray themselves as victims of feminism and call for a "reclaiming" of their power. Young users often stumble upon this content by chance – and become enthralled. A digital parallel world full of anger, frustration, and ideology.
What does the Manosphere stand for?The manosphere is a melting pot of anti-feminist narratives that spread rapidly across social media. The content ranges from manipulative dating advice to political demands that deliberately weaken the social position of women to outright misogyny. What they have in common is a fundamental rejection of gender equality.
Their content often seems professionally produced: "They are men with microphones, mostly podcast situations, in which they rant about how women, for example, aren't allowed to have a high "body count"—meaning they haven't slept with many men. This manosphere claims to invoke natural and traditional values, but actually means oppression," says Tara-Louise Wittwer, who has been dealing with this topic for many years as an author (current book "Nemesis' Daughters") and video producer (@wastarasagt).
"According to this traditional worldview, women are actively chosen by men. This is one of the desired motives of alpha males. But the reality here is different: Nowadays, women can usually decide for themselves who they vote for or whether they vote for no one at all. or a woman chooses or stays alone and maybe is quite happy at 30 with three cats. That makes these types of men angry; they see that they are losing power over women," says Tara-Louise Wittwer.
After a few hours of scrolling through the world of alpha males, one gets the impression that they all cultivate the same perception: that modern society is anti-male and that men are disadvantaged within it. The desire for old social structures and stereotypes dominates these social media channels.
The same thing is propagated by so-called Christfluencers, who invoke religion to restrict women's rights. "It's an attempt to abdicate responsibility. Along the lines of: We can't help the fact that we oppress women because God or Jesus said so, or biology is such that women are less valuable, are only allowed to have a few men, and are only allowed to do this and that," says Wittwer.
A growing number of women are also sharing this trend. "Make him a sandwich" is a hashtag used by women who share the manosphere's attitude and the "natural order" ideology. "These women often emphasize that it is their choice to live so dependently. And that's not something to be condemned at all. If a woman says, 'I want to be a traditional housewife, I find fulfillment in being at home, cooking, and having children,' then of course that's fine. Feminists have fought for this for so long, so that we have this choice," says Wittwer. The problem, however, is that when women work primarily in the home, they disappear from public life and cannot help shape decisions and processes.
Many of these women who share the ideas of the manosphere also create accounts and promote their lifestyle as the only true one. "Those who don't do this are labeled mentally ill and recommended to seek therapy. As is so often the case, feminism is portrayed as a disease."
Poisoned discourse on social mediaTara-Louise Wittwer is also active online and regularly produces videos on the topic of equality and solidarity among women . She critically analyzes how patriarchal structures and influencers on social media spread misogynistic content – briefly, pointedly, and with subtle humor. But not everyone likes that. Comments like: "But you have everything in Germany" in reference to women's rights is not uncommon. " Statistics show, however, that every other day women are killed by their partners or former partners."
Tara Wittwer isn't just criticized by men. She also receives criticism from the feminist camp. "For some, I'm not radical enough. For example, I don't sympathize with the 4B movement (Editor's note: This radical feminist movement originates from South Korea and rejects marriage with men; women should not have children, romantic relationships, or sex with men) – partly because I have a husband myself, whom I wouldn't want to miss. It's not about marriage or non-marriage. It's about women having a choice and being able to decide. Women and men are not equal, but they are of equal value. And many people don't seem to want to understand that. It's about equal rights and equal value."
In other words, the exact opposite of what the followers of the manosphere, whether men or women, want. The greatest danger is the increasing popularity of this movement. Platforms like TikTok and YouTube provide the perfect breeding ground for it. Influencers sell toxic masculinity images as lifestyle tips and disguise hate as "truth." Young men in particular are susceptible to this content. Social media is shaping a new wave of misogynistic narratives that can cause social dynamism.
dw
