The evolution and rise of the manosphere: Exploring technology-facilitated misogyny

By laxman belbase, co-director,  MenEngage Alliance

Technology did not create misogyny, but it has accelerated, amplified, and globalized it. What once existed in isolated corners has grown into a sprawling digital ecosystem that targets women, girls, LGBTQ+ people, and increasingly, boys and young men experiencing fear, insecurity, or exclusion.

The manosphere is more than a set of online communities; it is a manifestation of longstanding gender inequalities. Understanding its origins and evolution is critical to building safer and more equitable digital spaces.

What is the manosphere?

Across the internet, communities targeting men and boys promote narratives that normalise or celebrate violence against women and marginalised groups, often blaming feminism and progressive movements for men’s frustrations. These narratives form a core part of what is now known as the manosphere, the digital evolution of patriarchal and masculinist movements dating back to the 1970s.

Today, it spans a wide and heterogeneous network of misogynistic ideas, antifeminist discourse, masculinist narratives, and coordinated harassment of women and gender-diverse people. 

Alongside these male-oriented spaces, there has also been a rise in conservative online communities for women, such as the ​“trad-wives” movement. The trad-wives movement is often presented as a personal choice, but it ultimately reinforces patriarchal norms and restricts women’s autonomy. Together, these developments reveal how digital platforms are being weaponized to undermine progress toward gender equality.

Although often framed as an online problem, misogyny in digital spaces is deeply rooted in longstanding systems of patriarchy and gendered violence. Since around 2014, the manosphere has expanded rapidly, moving from fringe online spaces into mainstream public and political discourse. During this period, technology-enabled hate has grown, closely linked to misogyny, homophobia, and other supremacist ideologies. 

These groups effectively target boys and young men facing economic hardship, social exclusion, or psychological vulnerability — demographics that are particularly susceptible to radicalization. To engage meaningfully with the manosphere and support efforts to prevent technology-facilitated GBV, it is essential to understand its origins and evolution.

First Wave: The Manosphere Emerges (1970s – 2000s)

The forerunner to the manosphere appeared in the 1970s, well before the advent of the internet and social media. It started with the so-called ​“seduction artist” community. The pick-up artist community claimed to instruct men on how to attract women, but in truth, their guidance focused on manipulation, coercion, and a blatant neglect of consent. 

However, during the 1980s and 1990s, their narrative changed significantly. They no longer challenged patriarchy; instead, they portrayed men as victims of feminism. This reframing, from men as beneficiaries of patriarchy to men as its ​“victims,” became a seedbed for the manosphere.

Second Wave: The growth of incel extremism and structured men’s rights activists (2000s – 2010s)

The second wave occurred in the 2000s and early 2010s, when online communities became increasingly organized and more visible.

The pick-up artist community expanded swiftly, releasing books, blogs, and YouTube channels. Their message grew more hostile, increasingly blaming feminism for men’s supposed failures. They started employing pseudo-academic theories to justify their beliefs — using evolutionary psychology to claim that women were ​“inherently hypergamous,” or selectively interpreting history to suggest that feminism had replaced men.

Concurrently, the ​“incel” identity — men identifying as ​“involuntarily celibate” — grew in visibility. Certain incel forums openly condoned violence against women, with mass shooters subsequently referencing these communities as motivation. This radicalization escalated to a point where the Canadian government officially classified incel-motivated killings as terrorism.

This was a pivotal period. It connected individual discontent to political ideologies. Rather than perceiving their difficulties as stemming from economic change, social transformation, or patriarchy, men were told that feminism was responsible. Online communities created opportunities for widespread amplification, validation, and radicalization.

Third Wave: Aligning with the alt-right (2010s to now)

By the mid-2010s, the manosphere had evolved beyond merely focusing on pick-up artists into a more extensive ideological movement in its own right, and it progressively aligned with far-right politics. 

Conspiracy theories became central. Feminism and gender equality were reframed not merely as misguided, but as existential threats — to men, to families, to nations, even to civilization itself. Influencers started portraying themselves as victims of free speech persecution, claiming censorship whenever their views were challenged. This third wave also signified the alignment with the so-called alt-right. Misogyny wasn’t merely a consequence of extreme right beliefs ‑it evolved into being a central pillar of the alt-right ideology. 

In addition to racism, anti-immigrant attitudes, and Islamophobia, misogyny and anti-feminism served as significant mobilizing forces.  The glorification of hyper-masculinity, rigid gender binaries, and the subordination of women and gender diverse individuals became key ideological glues.

Misogynistic ideologies as gateways to extremism

At the core of incel ideology and the broader manosphere are deeply misogynistic beliefs about gender roles, heterosexuality, and male supremacy, including the notion that ​“traditional” gender hierarchies must be restored, even through violence. 

Online forums, gaming platforms, and other digital communities provide the space for these beliefs to circulate and be amplified. This creates environments where misogyny is normalized, validated, and encouraged as a basis for collective identity.

This misogynistic content often serves as an ideological bridge connecting a range of extremist movements. Increased exposure to these narratives can normalize sexist and dehumanizing attitudes. This is especially true for men and boys who use online spaces for socialization and belonging. Over time, this can shift individuals from casual hostility toward women into more explicit support for extremist ideologies. The term ​“ideological masculinity” has been coined to describe this commitment to misogyny and male supremacy, and to argue that it should be recognized as a form of violent extremism in its own right.

How gaming culture intensifies manosphere narratives

The manosphere even expanded into certain gaming communities that are highly male-dominated, where young men form a significant portion of the player base. This makes them an easy target for manosphere actors and content. 

Online multiplayer environments often normalize hyper-competitive, aggressive, and exclusionary forms of masculinity. The video gaming scandal known as ​‘Gamergate’ emerged from an eclectic mix of online figures against their perceived common enemy: feminist ​“social justice warriors” and any women or LGBTQ+ people who entered spaces they claimed belonged to ​“real” men. The gaming industry and gamer culture have functioned as both a recruiting ground and a testing lab for manosphere narratives and tactics.

The Manosphere’s harm to men and boys

Young men and boys who have been part of the manosphere themselves have spoken out about how harmful and toxic these spaces have been for them. Instead of providing support, they describe spaces that fuel anger, normalize misogyny, and deepen isolation. 

These testimonies show that the manosphere harms not only women, girls, and LGBTQIA+ people, but also the very men and boys it claims to support. Taking these voices seriously is critical to shaping alternative spaces rooted in care, equality, and justice.

The role of digital platforms in sustaining the manosphere

It is important not only to examine how an ideological commitment to misogyny and male supremacy is manifested online, but also to understand the logic of exploitation and oppression embedded in the operations of internet platforms themselves. There is a growing recognition that the ownership structures and network effects of ​“platform capitalism” concentrate power in unprecedented ways.

The world’s richest corporations have built their business empires on digital platforms, marketing them as open, innovative, and liberating. This makes it crucial to address policy and regulatory issues related to the exploitative and regressive nature of these platforms, which require cross-border approaches.

Challenging online misogyny is critical for preventing extremism

Misogynistic content can serve as a powerful ideological bridge across different extremist groups. Increasing exposure to online misogyny risks normalizing sexist and patriarchal attitudes, especially among young men who turn to online spaces to socialize, network, and find belonging. 

What may begin as seemingly casual jokes or ​“edgy” banter can quickly escalate into deeply held beliefs that reinforce hostility toward women, girls, and LGBTQ+ individuals.

In some cases, these beliefs also provide an entry point into broader extremist ideologies. This makes challenging online misogyny not just a matter of gender justice, but also a matter of preventing radicalization and building safer, more inclusive communities.

laxman belbase is global co-director of MenEngage Alliance. This op-ed is adapted from laxman’s remarks representing MenEngage Alliance at the SVRI and UN Women session on technology-facilitated gender-based violence.