The manosphere has broken out of its niche corner of the internet. More political figures, tech CEOs, celebrities, podcasters, fitness icons, and lifestyle gurus are now promising young men money and manhood, while also spreading harmful ideas about women, demonstrating the urgent need for philanthropy to take action in addressing the manosphere.

With two-thirds of young men drawn into this content online, philanthropy must grasp its sway over public discourse and policy, so that it can more meaningfully support progress towards gender equality that benefits everyone.

Addressing the Manosphere: Understanding the Manosphere Playbook

The messages shared by manosphere figureheads are simple. They include ideas like men are the ‘natural providers’ in families, that gay men are not ‘real men,’ and that violence against women is sometimes justified.

These messages work because, as Equimundo explains, they offer three things to their primary audience. First, they give emotional validation, making boys and men feel heard. Second, they provide role models, drawing them closer to influencers and further from mainstream society. Third, they offer a sense of community and belonging to men and boys who are struggling, addressing the manosphere at its roots.

Like other forms of disinformation, the manosphere gets the facts wrong but the feelings right. It is this emotional vacuum that the manosphere exploits, repackaging unmet needs into courses on wellness, dating, and getting rich.

The Loneliness Crisis

Take the loneliness crisis as a means to address the manosphere. Manosphere influencers often say it only affects men and blame it on women’s supposed unrealistic standards for dating.

What the data actually tells us is that men and women experience similar levels of loneliness. In the EU, 5 per-cent of men have felt lonely most or all the time in the past four weeks compared with 7 per-cent of women. In the US, roughly equal shares of men and women say they are often lonely.

This tells us we need to look at the bigger picture to address the manosphere.

A Harvard study in the US found that major causes of loneliness include technology, overwork, not enough time with family, poor mental health, and living in a hyper-individualistic society. The study also found that income level, rather than gender, is associated with loneliness.

Read the full article about addressing the manosphere by Nadège Lharaig at Alliance Magazine.