Making a Radical Misogynist: How online social engagement with the Manosphere influences traits of radicalization

Abstract

The algorithms and the interactions facilitated by online platforms have been used by radical groups to recruit vulnerable individuals to their cause. This has resulted in the sharp growth of violent events and deteriorating online discourse. The Manosphere, a collection of radical anti-feminist communities, is one such group which has attracted attention due to their rapid growth and increasingly violent real world outbursts. In this paper, we examine the social engagements between Reddit users who have participated in feminist discourse and the Manosphere communities on Reddit to understand the process of development of traits associated with the adoption of extremist ideologies. By using existing research on the psychology of radicalization we track how specific types of social engagement with the Manosphere influence the development of traits associated with radicalization. Our findings show that: (1) participation, even by the simple act of joining the Manosphere, has a significant influence on the language and outlook traits of a user, (2) Manosphere elites are extremely effective propagators of radical traits and cause their increase even outside the Manosphere, and (3) community perception can heavily influence a user's behavior. Finally, we examine how our findings can help draft community and platform moderation policies to help mitigate the problem of online radicalization.

Making Sense of Schizoposting

“…Finally, a network of like-minded individuals supports and intensifies these narratives, typically in online forums. Similar models and frameworks have been proposed (Habib et al, 2022;Mølmen & Ravndal, 2021) outlining pathways to radicalization, including the actualization of violence against groups perceivedas responsible for the perpetrators' grievances. Although many of the grievances and perceived injustices originate offline, it is through online networks that narratives are identified and intensified.…”

“…The "involuntary celibate" or "incel" movement is another realm in which such perspectives are prominent (Moskalenko et al, 2022). Although many mainstream online platforms such as X (formerly Twitter) and YouTube aim to curtail the spread of hateful rhetoric, more marginal (and less heavily moderated) platforms such as 8chan, 4chan, Reddit, and Telegram provide online environments wherein hate speech, conspiracy theories, and calls for violence are more prevalent and tolerated (Habib et al, 2022;Munn, 2019;Reyna et al, 2022;Rieger et al, 2022;Schulze et al, 2022).…”

“…For instance, the online subculture described as "involuntary celibates" or "incels" is composed of "primarily men who believe they are prevented by the society from fulfilling their desire to have sex, date, or establish relationships with women" (Moskalenko et al, 2022, p. 1). The offline absence of romantic relationships with women is explored in online forums, sometimes described as the "manosphere" (Habib et al, 2022), leading to misogynistic, antiwomen, antitrans, and antifeminist perspectives and, in some instances, acts of violence (Helm et al, 2022). Those who experience social alienation offline find belonging online, facilitating exposure to extremist content (Mølmen & Ravndal, 2021) that typically pushes individuals in more extremist and ideological directions (Little et al, 2021;Munn, 2019).…”