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In recent years, the concept of "misogynistic extremism" has emerged as a subject of interest among scholars, governments, law enforcement personnel, and the media. Yet a consistent understanding of how misogynistic extremism is defined and conceptualized has not yet emerged. Varying epistemological orientations may contribute to the current concep...
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... Although the manifestations vary across individuals and groups, they share a common theme: a belief that although men are entitled to control and agency, this entitlement is being stolen or threatened by external forces. Whether seen through the lens of personal grievances, racial superiority, or gender hierarchy, the underlying sentiment is one of victimhood and anger directed toward those seen as encroaching on men's perceived ordained rights and power (O'Hanlon et al., 2024;O'Malley & Helm, 2023). Understanding this perspective, which highlights a troubling intersection of frustration and misogyny, is crucial for addressing the factors that influence the violence and extremism linked to these ideologies. ...
Violence among young men in the United States has escalated in recent years, leading to two contrasting perspectives of young men—either as (a) agentic aggressors or (b) by-products of societal shifts that have caused disadvantage. The first perspective characterizes men as entitled and reactionary, prone to aggression when their societal expectations are unmet. This view aligns with the frustration–aggression hypothesis where unmet desires lead to hostile behaviors, particularly among individuals who perceive a loss of status and significance. Conversely, the second perspective views men as victims of rapid societal changes, such as job displacement, educational disparities, and shifting gender roles. This lens sees men as isolated and struggling to adapt to a new social landscape, leading to feelings of alienation and increased susceptibility to extremist ideologies. Social disconnection models, particularly those focused on ostracism, provide a framework for understanding these dynamics, highlighting the emotional and psychological toll of isolation. This article attempts to reconcile these contrasting views, providing an integrated perspective that can help clarify the phenomenon more fully and guide ongoing attempts to alleviate it.
... It has become a significant force in contemporary discourse on gender relations. The manosphere has been the focus of numerous studies exploring online misogyny (for a comprehensive review see Fontanella et al., 2024;O'Hanlon et al., 2024). ...
The digital sphere is pivotal in shaping social norms, and the Italian “manosphere” is a key player in this process. This study examines the composition and structure of the Italian manosphere, an intricate online ecosystem characterised by antifeminist and often misogynistic ideologies. Through a comprehensive analysis of Facebook networks and blog presentations from various groups, we mapped and classified the main actors within this ecosystem, shedding light on their connections and functions. The analysis focuses on two main aspects by employing natural language processing techniques and social network analysis. First, we investigated the functions of different groups within the network—Men’s Rights Activists, Men Going Their Own Way, Involuntary Celibates, and Pick‐Up Artists—identifying their roles, how they interconnect and their ties to the international manosphere. Second, we analysed the blog presentations of members to explore the motivations driving individuals to join these communities, revealing the key themes emerging from their narratives. Our findings highlight the manosphere as a complex and interconnected phenomenon that not only reflects global neosexist trends but also integrates unique socio‐cultural elements specific to the Italian context. This study underscores the significance of understanding the manosphere’s influence on public discourse and its far‐reaching implications for the socio‐political landscape in Italy, particularly concerning gender relations.
... Recommendations from recent literature reviews on misogynistic extremism may be instructive here. First, early education for young people on topics such as sexual consent, gender equality, and critical media consumption are imperative (O'Hanlon et al., 2024). It is also important that advocates and policymakers work with social media companies to enforce community guidelines that prohibit misogyny in a manner that is constructive and does not simply ban groups who may then simply find an alternative fringe space to promulgate misogynistic hate (O'Hanlon et al., 2024;Rothermel & Kelly, 2024). ...
... First, early education for young people on topics such as sexual consent, gender equality, and critical media consumption are imperative (O'Hanlon et al., 2024). It is also important that advocates and policymakers work with social media companies to enforce community guidelines that prohibit misogyny in a manner that is constructive and does not simply ban groups who may then simply find an alternative fringe space to promulgate misogynistic hate (O'Hanlon et al., 2024;Rothermel & Kelly, 2024). Finally, it is vital that efforts to curb misogyny avoid treating manosphere groups, such as MRAs, as isolated cadres; instead, they should situate them within the current and historical political climate that promotes male supremacism (O'Hanlon et al., 2024). ...
... It is also important that advocates and policymakers work with social media companies to enforce community guidelines that prohibit misogyny in a manner that is constructive and does not simply ban groups who may then simply find an alternative fringe space to promulgate misogynistic hate (O'Hanlon et al., 2024;Rothermel & Kelly, 2024). Finally, it is vital that efforts to curb misogyny avoid treating manosphere groups, such as MRAs, as isolated cadres; instead, they should situate them within the current and historical political climate that promotes male supremacism (O'Hanlon et al., 2024). This means avoiding reinforcement of the popular "masculinity in crisis" frame that reflects concern for White, straight, cisgender men and boys who feel lost in a culture where less powerful groups are achieving more visibility -at least not in the absence of a structural analysis of inequalities (Rothermel & Kelly, 2024). ...
A dominant narrative among men’s rights activists (MRAs) is that rape culture does not exist. Despite statistical evidence that men are more likely to be sexually assaulted than wrongfully accused of assault, false rape allegations are the most frequently discussed topic on MRA forums and websites. In this study, we analyzed comments about false rape allegations posted to r/MensRights, a popular MRA forum. Just as the larger MRA movement emerged as a reactionary counterbalance to a feminist movement that MRAs believe has purportedly achieved equality, we found that MRAs construct a culture of false rape allegations to counterbalance a purportedly non-existent rape culture. Using a grounded theory approach to examine the narratives deployed by MRAs, we discovered that these men construct what we call a “compensatory culture of injury.” We found that MRAs are driven by “aspirational oppression,” which we theorize as a sense of grievance surrounding a group’s diminishing privilege and desire to achieve the guise of subjugation that warrants reparations to restore the status quo in the ostensible pursuit of fairness and equality. This co-optation of victimhood may be challenged by structural conversations about gender as well as the explicit identification of the misogynistic nature of MRA narratives.
... It is a form of sexism that is aimed to keep women at a lower social status than men to maintain the societal roles of patriarchy. Examples of misogyny include violence against women, sexual harassment, and social exclusion (Carian et al., 2022;O'Hanlon et al., 2024) Racism Racism is prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against a person (or people) based on their membership to a particular racial or ethnic group (Berger, 2018). ...
More than half of all game players report experiencing some form of hate, harassment or abuse within gaming spaces. While prevalence assessments of these actions in digital gaming spaces are ongoing, little remains known about the more extreme forms of these behaviors. Specifically, experiences of extremism. This paper addresses the gap in research knowledge around the expression of extremist sentiment in games by evaluating their prevalence, location, and nature, and impact. Assessing experiences via an online survey, game players (n = 423) reported an alarmingly high rate of frequency for being the direct target of, as well as a witness to, all forms of extremist content. Most of these experiences were text-based, reported to be happening in-game. Most players endorsed statements relating to a normalization of extreme ideologies within gaming cultures. It is promising that reporting these behaviors was the primary action taken by players for most of the players; however, “ignoring” these actions was also a common strategy. It is possible that player inaction reflects the embeddedness and normalization of these actions in gaming spaces and/or a lack of trust in moderation systems to be responsive. The prevalence of extreme sentiment in gaming cultures should raise concern from game makers, members of the gaming community, parents, and policy makers alike.
... Empirically, Begany & Milburn (2002) found that right-wing authoritarianism significantly and positively predicted sexual harassment, mediated by hostile attitudes towards women among American men in the general population. Systematically, in the context of hostility towards women, the concepts of misogynistic incels, right-wing authoritarianism, male supremacist, terrorism, and the black pill ideology were found to be closely associated (O'Hanlon, Altice, Lee et al., 2024). Therefore, it is plausible to assume an association between right-wing authoritarianism and hostility towards women. ...
... So far, gender focused scholars across disciplines and methods have made strides to understand how and why hostility towards women is carried out. Recent reviews have focused on misogyny and found that around 90% of the included meta-data were qualitative or theoretical, with a few being based on surveys (Czerwinsky, 2024;O'Hanlon et al., 2024). Research has well documented that right-wing authoritarianism is associated with hostility towards women. ...
Hostility towards women is a type of prejudice that can have adverse effects on women and society, but research on predictors of men's hostility towards women is limited. The present study primarily introduced predictors associated with misogynist involuntary celibates (incels), and then investigated whether loneliness, rejection, attractiveness, number of romantic and sexual partners, right‐wing authoritarianism, and gaming predicted hostility towards women among a more general sample of men. A total of 473 men (aged 18–35, single, heterosexual, UK residents) recruited via Prolific answered the hostile sexism subscale, the misogyny scale, the self‐perceived sexual attractiveness scale, the right‐wing authoritarianism scale, the game addiction scale for adolescents, the adult rejection‐sensitivity scale, the UCLA loneliness scale, and self‐developed questions regarding number of sexual and romantic partners, and time spent gaming. We found a strong positive relationship between right‐wing authoritarianism and hostility towards women, as well as a strong convex curvilinear relationship between attractiveness and hostility towards women. The number of sexual partners showed a moderate concave relationship with hostility towards women. We did not find sufficient support for a relationship between gaming and hostility towards women, and there was no support that loneliness, rejection, or romantic partners predicted hostility towards women among a general sample of men. Our study supports right‐wing authoritarianism and self‐perceived attractiveness as potential strong predictors in understanding men's hostility towards women in the wider community.
Pre‐registration: https://osf.io/ms3a4 .
... Contrasting perspectives assert incels as a terrorist group (e.g., Zimmerman, Ryan, and Duriesmith 2018), with positions suggesting a male supremacist collective (Kelly, DiBranco, and DeCook 2021;Roose and Cook 2022), a "single issue terrorist group" (O'Donnell and Shor 2022, 12) and a "trans-national terror network" (Witt 2020, 667). Discussion is ongoing regarding the response to violence committed by those identifying with incel ideology, particularly whether calls for securitization obfuscate entrenched social structures which foster misogyny and patriarchy O'Hanlon et al. 2023). Complicating matters further, an increasing body of research that engages with incels via surveys and interviews reveals significant levels of adverse mental health conditions among the community, including depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation, social isolation, neurodivergence, and histories of adverse life experiences (Costello et al. 2022;Daly and Lakovtsov 2021;Delaney, Pollet, and Cook 2023;Moskalenko et al. 2022;Speckhard and Ellenberg 2022). ...
Although an important theoretical tool within the field of critical study of men and masculinities, mishandling of Connell’s theory of multiple masculinities and subsequent developments frequently overlooks the relational and legitimizing components central to the hegemonic masculine construct, producing conceptual ‘slippage’. This case study demonstrates such misapplication, examining four investigations within the emerging field of research concerning the antifeminist masculine performances and ideological constructs associated with involuntary celibates (incels). Each study lacks acknowledgement and demonstration of the political mechanics of relational legitimacy that define hegemonic masculinity, producing, instead, trait analyses of non-hegemonic dominant or dominating masculine behaviour resting on fixed, often toxic character types. As novel and emergent communities of men receive scholarly attention, it is important researchers heed repeated attempts to guide correct use of theory by engaging with the history and evolution of employed concepts.
... However, mental health clinicians and social service providers likely lack the training necessary to prepare them to provide treatment necessary to counter extremist ideologies or to work with individuals who have been radicalized . General education on the Incel community should be provided to medical and social services providers, law enforcement, and educators to prepare them to recognize signs an individual may be involved in the Incel community, and further specialized training on deradicalization techniques must be available for those working directly with members of the Incel community (O'Hanlon et al., 2023). ...
Incels are men who are members of an online community that experiences an unmet desire for sex and blame women for their struggle. Since 2019 there have been several violent mass murder attacks committed by Incels motivated by Incel ideology creating a threat of future violence. While the vast majority of Incels do not commit violent mass murder attacks, researchers have begun to study Incels to prevent future violence and uncover the true nature of the Incel community. Because the study of Incels is an emergent academic field, knowledge about Incels remains nascent with need for research about Incels as well as interventions to address the struggles of involuntary celibacy. In 2022, Stijelja and Mishara called for a life-course theory analysis of Incels. The author of this paper responds to that call and applies life-course theory to the Incel community placing emphasis on the masculinity strain experienced by Incels attempting to perform hegemonic masculinity as part of the transition to adulthood but falling short because of their lack of sexual activity. The implications of this work include a proposal for the creation and implementation of Incel-specific, online therapeutic interventions and continued research directly with the Incel community to uncover the complexities of the Incel experience.
... There is growing concern around the effects of far-right personalities who are promoting a reductive and harmful view of masculinity to young male audiences (Bubola and Kwai 2023), as well as propagating 'misogynistic extremism' (O'Hanlon et al. 2023). The fear is that, as with older men, young men's exposure to antifeminist content online can be an entry point to the wider 'manosphere'the name for 'a loosely connected group of antifeminist Internet communities' (Van Valkenburgh in Maloney, Roberts & Jones 2022: 2). ...
... In 2018, a colleague and I wrote a book about the ways that a logic of masculinism-that is an ideology that masculine traits are considered superior-continues to play out in both overt and more covert ways (Nicholas & Agius 2018). Most dramatic of these is the 'misogynistic extremism' (O'Hanlon et al. 2023) that overtly expresses male supremacy and is most apparent in, for example, incel. However, bolstering this logic are the more covert ideas of tradition, hierarchy, order, and entitlement that also underpin violence-supportive attitudes that are a driver of intimate partner violence (Nicholas & Agius 2019), and overlap with other forms of prejudice and discrimination. ...
During the last decade, events such as GamerGate and debates around gender inequality in video games have highlighted affinities between alt-right discourses and some sectors of the gaming community. This article contributes to the literature with a systematic narrative review of alt-right and gaming culture, focusing on masculinities and their discourses in the video game industry. We conducted bibliographic searches in Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar using terms in English and Spanish, such as “video games”, “alt-right”, and “masculinities”. We conducted two screening rounds by applying PRIMA and using Rayyan software, reducing the initial sample (n = 274) to 33 articles and book chapters. The review highlights the importance of linking Game Studies with the issues of masculinities and the alt-right. We advocate for a comprehensive model integrating Game Studies with the analysis of extremist forces, emphasizing the interconnectedness of various issues such as video games as political objects, historical and cultural media formation, and geek masculinity. Key recommendations include establishing a common framework, enhancing scholar-industry collaboration, and promoting solution-oriented research to address the influence of the alt-right in gaming communities.
During the last decade, events such as GamerGate and debates around gender inequality in video games have highlighted affinities between alt-right discourses and some sectors of the gaming community. This article contributes to the literature with a systematic narrative review of alt-right and gaming culture, focusing on masculinities and their discourses in the video game industry. We conducted bibliographic searches in Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar using terms in English and Spanish, such as "video games", "alt-right", and "masculinities". We conducted two screening rounds by applying PRIMA and using Rayyan software, reducing the initial sample (n = 274) to 33 articles and book chapters. The review highlights the importance of linking Game Studies with the issues of masculinities and the alt-right. We advocate for a comprehensive model integrating Game Studies with the analysis of extremist forces, emphasizing the interconnectedness of various issues such as video games as political objects, historical and cultural media formation, and geek masculinity. Key recommendations include establishing a common framework, enhancing scholar-industry collaboration, and promoting solution-oriented research to address the influence of the alt-right in gaming communities.
