Manosphere: a lethal trap

By: Krishnika Mehendiratta 

Abstract 

The ‘Manosphere’ is one of the darker corners of the internet. Recently, it has gained attention through the 4 episode web series ‘Adolescence’. Manosphere only amplifies the misogyny still present in society. This paper aims to explain the terms under the manosphere and how it is affecting men and young boys. 

What is the ‘Manosphere’? 

Manosphere is the umbrella term for a range of interconnected online anti-feminist communities including pick-up artists, men’s rights’ activists and incels (Young, 2025). 

● Understanding the four major groups under the manosphere: 1. Incels- Men who are ‘involuntary celibates’. They believe they are entitled to a relationship with a woman but are incapable of finding a partner (Aiston, 2021). They are driven by deep resentment and entitlement towards women (Tomorrow Man, 2025). 

2. Pick-up Artists (PUAs)- They teach men seduction strategies so that they can be more successful in attracting women; many of their techniques include mistreating women, harassment or 

disregarding their consent (Aiston, 2021). It's a huge community consisting of influencers, companies and forums (McCullough, 2023) 

3. Men Going Their Own Way (MGTOW)- They believe that women are so toxic and avoiding them is the only option (Aiston, 2021). According to them, women are dangerous and malevolent (Bates, 2020) 

4. Men’s rights activists- They often advocate for harmful, 

discriminatory behaviour (Tomorrow Man, 2025). They devote most of their time to attacking feminists and other relevant female figures (Bates, 2020) and blame women for societal issues 

(Tomorrow Man, 2025). 

● Some terms that come under the manosphere: 

1. Red-pilled: The name is derived from a scene in the 1999 film ‘The Matrix’ (Marche, 2016). Taking the ‘red pill’ essentially means that

learning male supremacist ideas will wake you up to the feminine forces secretly oppressing men (McCullough, 2023). 

2. 80-20 rule: The rule suggests that 80% of women are attracted to 20% of the men, also known as the Pareto Principle (Young, 2025) 

Role of influencers in the manosphere 

The Internet and social media are the common link between teenagers and the manosphere. Here you’ll find many influencers, including Andrew Tate. He has been kicked off of YouTube, TikTok and other platforms; he normalises violence against women and identifies as a misogynist (McCullough, 2023). His content is still widely circulated through social media, a place where many young minds are also present. Algorithms also play a major role for Tate’s popularity among 14 - 18 year old boys (Tomorrow Man, 2025). 

How does the manosphere draw teenage boys? 

It is easy for teenagers who are still trying to find their identity, looking for a place to belong getting trapped in the manosphere. Manosphere targets real fears and anxieties of young boys and then blames women as the root cause of all their problems (Young, 2025). 

An example of the widespread misogynistic ideas spread by Tate : “One teacher talked about a lesson on sexual consent in which a boy quoted Tate, saying if a woman went out alone at night and was attacked, it was her fault,” he said.” (Tomorrow Man, 2025) 

Manosphere offers a simple approach to teenagers to answer their unanswered questions. Manosphere traps them thinking that they have found their community (Tomorrow Man, 2025). Young boys and teenagers are actively fed misogynistic content. If a person engages with Tate’s content or any other figure in the manosphere, the platform’s algorithm tends to recommend more of the same content (Tomorrow Man, 2025). Influencers in the manosphere base their claims on pseudoscientific theories (McCullough, 2023), including the 80-20 rule. They play with the emotions of young men, urging them to turn feelings of sadness and confusion into anger and aggression (McCullough, 2023)

This content can especially harm young boys and teenagers. It majorly targets the insecurities and vulnerabilities of young men, largely related to rejection by women (Hoare, 2025). 

Conclusion 

Men and young boys genuinely need a safe space to turn to, not a space that fills their minds with such misogynistic thoughts. This is a real problem that needs to be addressed. A safe, healthy and empowering community should be established for young boys so that they can navigate through their teenage years easily and 

without falling into the manosphere. 

References 

Young, C. (2025, April). What Adolescence gets right (and wrong) about the manosphere. Pursuit 

https://pursuit.unimelb.edu.au/articles/what-adolescence-gets-right-and-wrong-a bout-the-manosphere 

Aiston, J. (2021, October). What is the manosphere and why is it a concern?. InternetMatters 

https://www.internetmatters.org/hub/news-blogs/what-is-the-manosphere-and-w hy-is-it-a-concern/ 

Tomorrow Man. (2025, February). Navigating the manosphere: understanding the online world of boys. Tomorrowman. 

https://www.tomorrowman.com.au/blog-posts/navigating-the-manosphere-under standing-the-online-world-of-teenage-boys 

McCullough, S. (2023, September). Online misogyny: the “manosphere”. Human Rights. https://humanrights.ca/story/online-misogyny-manosphere#edn1 

Bates, L. (2020, September). Incels, 'Men Going Their Own Way' And Pickup Artists: The Truth About Extreme Misogyny. Elle. 

https://www.elle.com/uk/life-and-culture/a33831679/incels-men-who-hate-wom en/

Marche, S. (2016, April). Swallowing the Red Pill: a journey to the heart of modern misogyny. The Guardian. Swallowing the Red Pill: a journey to the heart of modern misogyny | Gender | The Guardian 

Hoare, A. (2025, April). What parents need to know to talk to their children about the manosphere. The conversation. 

https://theconversation.com/what-parents-need-to-know-to-talk-to-their-children -about-the-manosphere-252984