Manosphere: Masculinity Presented Online

By: Deanza J. Andriansyah

Edited by: Fayza Rizkita Kania

The image of a domineering man surrounded by expensive cars, a luxurious mansion and a bunch of supermodels is certainly a polarising one. On one hand, many may find this image to be flashy or arrogant. On the other hand, Andrew Tate’s online course which teaches people ‘the secrets to modern wealth creation’, currently has an estimate of 200,000 subscribers. This shows how - no matter the damaging, misogynistic, and even abusive actions a man is known for, there are many people with the likes of Andrew Tate who continue to have fans and people who find this image of a man to be aspirational, therefore still having influence.

Another infamous alpha male influencer is Aaron Marino of Alpha M. He has a Youtube channel where he gives dating and fitness advice, yet he seems to have an ulterior motive when pushing for his content. Marino is not only constantly promoting overpriced products when giving advice, but he also objectifies women in his thumbnails to clickbait his wide audience of naive young boys.

So, if alpha males’ values are so hazy, why do so many men look up to these figures? Other than their luxurious lifestyles, young men are also attracted to their misogynistic views that they spread online. Another male online figure who has recently been deplatformed is Sneako. He is a former Youtuber whose content began with  interesting and daring topics such as racism and other social or political matters. Although he has faced negative responses for some of his old takes on these subjects, Sneako was a teenager and it was apparent that he had good intentions despite his unique perspectives on certain things. However, his content and reputation has recently taken a turn when he began publishing even more controversial videos plastered with shocking titles to gain more traction from the public. On his now removed Youtube channel, he has posted videos entitled “Why Ugly Girls Think They’re Beautiful” and “How Women Manipulate Men”. Now, Sneako has moved platforms to Rumble, where he live streams after being banned from multiple social media sites such as Youtube and Twitch. He has also made his views on Andrew Tate clear, being a big supporter of him. Sneako has constantly made hateful comments towards multiple Youtubers. Most of which are either men he doesn’t deem ‘alpha’ enough or women who voice their opinions which do not fit Sneako’s beliefs. An example of one of Sneako’s victims is Chad Chad, a woman who makes commentary videos. Sneako has made a vile comment explaining how he believed that she needed to be sexually dominated by an assertive man in order to ‘shut up’ - explaining it in a way which implies it even being non-consensual. Teenage and even younger boys are very susceptible to online radicalisation. A BBC article was published on a mother named Jane and her 15-year-old son, Will. She and Will’s teachers had major concerns as he began idolising Andrew Tate. Psychologist Dr. Nia Williams explained how people like Andrew Tate lead teenage boys to feel as though they are mistreated by society due to his extremist views. Young boys very easily end up finding themselves deep in the subculture of extremist misogyny and hate - which usually extends to racism and homophobia as well. There are multiple Discord servers and Reddit forums where men, usually coined as ‘incels’, share their hate for women. Some men mistakenly view the empowerment of women as the oppression of men, which leads them to further convince themselves that their hate is justified. Undoubtedly, all of this increases online hate towards women and spreads misogyny.

What is the real issue with being a successful and rich man who lives in luxury? In concept, there is nothing inherently wrong with wanting to be an ‘alpha male.’ In fact, the Oxford Dictionary defines such as “a man tending to assume a dominant or dominating role in social or professional situations.” Depending on the context, this could be a positive thing for men to aspire to be. However, the issue with looking up to ‘alpha male’ role models, particularly online, is that they usually encourage negative and damaging beliefs, which reach millions of impressionable young audiences.

Women have shared their fears on the growing phenomena of the ‘alpha male.’ Whether it be through Youtubers like Sneako, influencers like Andrew Tate, or even ‘alpha male’ podcasts, this culture has significantly increased through social media. This group of people often reinforce gender norms that are highly reversing the progression of equality. For example, there are multiple clips of ‘alpha male’ podcasts which preach about how their women must be ‘pure virgins’, submissive and ‘serve their husbands’.

Those are only a few of the negative stereotypes they proudly believe women should follow to be considered ‘high value.’ These men essentially do not view women as human beings, yet simple prizes and objects to be criticised, fetishised, and sexualised.

Although unhealthy representations of masculinity have been on the rise, deplatforming these hateful individuals has made the internet at least a slightly more safe and positive space. Despite the importance of freedom of speech, spreading unwarranted and extreme hate towards and regarding particular groups of people will only cause more harm than good. Hopefully, 2023 sees the decline of the toxicity surrounding what it means to be a ‘real man’, and shifts the conversation towards the importance of being men who have healthy views and relationships with their masculinity.

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