What ‘Adolescence’ conceals about the manosphere

Elli Scambor

The Netflix miniseries Adolescence, which has already recorded almost 100 million views three weeks after its release, tells the story of a 13-year-old boy who is suspected of killing a girl. This is emotionally disturbing – and impresses with its social relevance: The series is a portrait of the dangers that threaten young people in an increasingly digitalized world, and which also includes the seductive power of the so-called manosphere. Adolescence is touching, painfully realistic and in many moments difficult to bear. That’s why the series is so important. It is a wake-up call: young people are not only online – they live there. And what happens there can destroy lives.

But Adolescence remains strangely vague at crucial points. The mechanisms of digital radicalization, especially those of the manosphere, are hinted at but hardly explained. It shows a boy who withdraws, stares at his cell phone, gets angry. But what does he see there? What content changes it? Which ideologies appeal to him? These questions remain unanswered. If you haven’t dealt with the Manosphere yet, you will find it difficult to classify some moments of the series.

There are indications – for example, when the son of a police officer tells his father that he does not understand “this world” and refers to the so-called red pill. In the manosphere, the “Red Pill” stands as a code for awakening against a supposedly anti-male system. The counterfoil to this is the “blue pill”, which stands for a life in feminist-blinded ignorance. But it remains a hint. A deeper understanding of what millions of young people see online every day – and what shapes their view of themselves and others – is not being developed.

The manosphere is not a uniform entity, but a loose but powerful network of digital spaces – forums, platforms, channels – in which men confirm each other’s anti-feminist worldviews. Subcultures such as incels (involuntary celibates), MGTOW (Men Going Their Own Way) or PickUp Artists are united by the conviction that men are systematically disadvantaged – and that dominance, withdrawal or violence are legitimate responses to this.

In this online world, hypermasculine ideals are celebrated: fearlessness, control, emotional coldness. Studies show that influencers like Andrew Tate have become role models for many young people. Algorithms amplify this effect, radical content normalizes. The Manosphere acts as a support network – for young people who feel lonely, hurt or overwhelmed. It offers belonging, orientation – and simple culprits: girls, women, queer people, other masculinities.

However, these digital spaces are not only radical niches, they are an expression of a larger, patriarchal system that still socializes many boys with rigid ideas of masculinity. Vulnerability is taboo, dominance a must. Those who do not keep up are devalued as “beta” (submissive and weak). The result: inner pressure, psychological stress – and not infrequently violence against others. Because those who have never learned to deal with frustration may resort to devaluation, hatred or violence.

Studies such as the State of American Men Study (2023) show that the digital world has long been a central place of socialization : Almost half of young men find online life more rewarding and meaningful than offline life. A third of the 2,022 18- to 45-year-old men surveyed had no contact with people outside their own household in the past week. Particularly worrying: Many of the youngest trust misogynistic influencers. The Internet replaces real caregivers – and thus becomes a place where masculinity is encoded in a new and often radical way.

We must not leave the field to those who sell misogyny as an offer of identity. Digital counterspaces are needed in which images of masculinity based on care, empathy and devotion become visible. Boys have to experience that they are allowed to take care of themselves and others. This has to be learned and practiced. It doesn’t just happen.

Boys should be motivated to become active shapers of their living environment, to have conversations about masculinity requirements, to deal with violence, to develop their own visions of cohesion. This approach only works if it is designed together with young people – at eye level, true to life and authentic. And it must be thought of intersectionally: If you want to break up the structures of the manosphere, you also have to talk about racism, queerphobia and social inequality.

Adults also have to learn. Above all, parents and educational professionals need an understanding of the digital world of young people. They should recognize codes like the Red Pill and know how to react. Educational work should combine emotional and media competence. Schools are more than places of learning – they are places of relationship. Young people need adults who listen, acknowledge, take seriously – and offer alternatives.

Adolescence wants to be a warning. But to be effective, we also need to shine a light on those dark corners where misogyny and male fantasies of violence form. The manosphere is real. But hope, change – and young people who are willing to take on responsibility – are just as real. We have to give them space. Online and offline.

Elli Scambor is a sociologist and educator, head of the Institute for Masculinity Research and Gender Studies/VMG – a member of MenEngage Europe – and vice president of the Umbrella Organization for Work with Men and Boys in Austria.

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This article was originally published in here in Der Standard (German) and is republished here, with permission, in English

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