Belief Without Belonging: The Diffusion of Manosphere Ideology Beyond Influencers

• In Event: Media Ecosystems and the Diffusion of Contested Ideas

Abstract

How do manosphere beliefs circulate beyond dedicated online communities, and under what conditions does exposure translate into endorsement across national contexts? At a moment of renewed contestation over gender equality, examining how anti-feminist beliefs circulate and gain traction online is central to understanding gendered dimensions of political polarization. While existing scholarship has analyzed manosphere spaces through forum data, platform analysis, and community-specific samples, little is known about the prevalence and normalization of manosphere ideology in the general population or across countries. Drawing on nationally representative panel surveys in the United States and France, supplemented by interviews and digital trace data, we examine following, exposure to, and belief in thirteen common manosphere ideas. We find that although only a small share of respondents report following manosphere creators, exposure to manosphere content is widespread and belief in it among those exposed is substantial. Men, younger respondents, and those who are more online are more likely to follow manosphere accounts, with unemployment emerging as an additional predictor in the United States. Across both countries, follower counts dramatically underestimate ideological diffusion. By distinguishing between following, exposure, and belief, we shift the analytical focus from radicalization within niche subcultures to normalization within broader publics.

Authors

• Jen Schradie, Sciences Po - Paris

• Isabelle Langrock, Middlebury College

• Lauren Clingan, Sciences Po

• Alexia Vallenas Wiesse

• Briana Charia Edwards, UNC Chapel Hill

• Shannon McGregor, UNC Chapel Hill

• Jasmine Criqui, Georgetown University