Media portrayals of online radicalization have become increasingly popular, bringing attention to how digital spaces can shape but also give voice to extremist beliefs and harmful ideologies. These narratives are important, as they shed light on an important issue, however these representations overwhelmingly center around men. The show Adolescence follows a teenage boy showing his radicalization journey in retrospective and the more recent documentary Inside the Manosphere gives voice to prominent figures of the manosphere, therefore showing men as both perpetrators and victims inside these movements. However, the people being mostly affected by this, women, are conveniently left out of the discourse. This discrepancy raises concern whether this fascination with these subcultures obliterates the harm they cause.
Last week, the documentary Inside the Manosphere premiered on Netflix by well known documentarian Louis Theroux. The documentary shed light into the lives of several prominent figures of the manosphere, which is a community supposedly addressing men’s issues and often offering harmful and misogynistic advice. As expected, the spotlight fell largely on male content creators, podcasters and self proclaimed enterpreneurs. Women were barely acknowledged, only occasionally interviewed and portrayed as support systems for the men or background figures orbiting the men at the center of the story.
Similarly, last year’s award-winning series Adolescence sparked widespread discussion about the dangers of online radicalisation. The story follows a teenage boy who murders a girl, examining how social media platforms can fuel extremist beliefs. Media representations like these are undeniably important as they shed light onto serious issues and can raise public awareness, influence policy conversations and lead to real change. in the UK, Netherlands and now also France the show is being used in secondary schools to teach about toxic masculinity and online harms.
However, a persistent imbalance remains. Media representation surrounding this issue is dominated by a male centered view, portraying men as both victims and perpetrators. This view forgets the people most affected by these ideologies. Women carrying the brunt of these misogynistic narratives and bearing real life consequences are often treated as secondary to these stories. By foregrounding the men inside these movements it gives them more screen time and therefore risks reinforcing their narrative instead of challenging it. This raises an uncomfortable question: are we as a society more fascinated by the subculture than committing to acknowledging the harm it causes half the population?
These movements commonly place feminism as the cause for male discontent and remake men into the victims of modern society. Claims of the manosphere often include blatant misogyny, but rarely explore the perspectives of women within these movements. Through movements like these it is becoming normalized for politicians to be openly misogynistic and rarely face any repercussions for such statements. Far-right parties benefit from alt-right movements, which seem to be attracting more and more men, as can be seen in a study that found that 31% of GenZ agrees with misogynistic viewpoints. Across the world, we are witnessing troubling movements cracking down on women’s rights. In the United States, overturning Roe v. Wade led to abortion bans in multiple states. In Afghanistan, women are being stripped of their rights. At the same time, rape is being used as a warfare tactic while statistics show that the home, often assumed to be a place of safety, is one of the most dangerous places for a women due to domestic violence. In the digital sphere, AI deepfakes are undressing women without consent and even creating AI women on platforms such as OnlyFans.
Despite this reality, the media continues to center around the perpetrators, political movements and culture-war topics. Far less attention is given to women’s perspectives and real lived experiences surrounding these issues. We are bombarded with coverage by those who cause harm, yet hear little about those experiencing or working against it. A balanced and more investigative approach is needed if there is to be any hope of bridging this ever-widening gap.