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Exploring the “Manosphere”: A Qualitative Study of Gen-Z Males’ Perceptions

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posted on 2024-08-14, 11:16 authored by Luka NetzlerLuka Netzler

The manosphere, a collection of male-centric online communities has seen an increase in virality in recent years, the manosphere has also been criticised for promoting misogyny, and promoting violence and sexism. Despite this, communities within the manosphere have diverse ideologies which produce polarisation between those within the communities and the public's perception of them. Moreover, certain influencers within the space have been deemed harmful content by governing bodies, yet the community continues to grow. As of now no effort has been made to explore individual experiences of those involved, even less so in the younger population which is pertinent to develop a deeper understanding of those engaging. The present study recruited three participants who were Gen-Z, and identified as male aged between 18 and 24 (Mage = 21). Participants engaged in semi-structured interviews. The interviews were analysed using Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis. Experiential statements were produced from each interview, which were combined into group experiential themes. Themes included: The manosphere serves as a tool for self improvement, advice and purpose, The content serves a community of disenfranchised men, The manosphere can be divisive and difficult to navigate and There is a negative perception of modern feminism. These evoked how the manosphere was life changing, misunderstood and nuanced. The findings warrant further qualitative study into the lived experience of those in the manosphere.

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