Glossary: The manosphere
Source: UN Women
Online violence is real violence. The manosphere – an umbrella term for communities that promote harmful definitions of masculinity – serves as its nursery.
As UN Women, we are taking action against digital abuse, one of the fastest growing forms of gender-based violence, and countering the spread of the manosphere’s toxic influence.
The manosphere targets male audiences in all digital spaces, including social media, podcasts, gamer communities, and even dating apps. Many men and boys engage with the content in search of forums to learn about men’s issues. But the solutions and discussions veer far from healthy advice, promoting instead ideas of harsh self-discipline, emotional control and physical dominance over others, especially women and girls.
Like many communities, the manosphere spreads its ideas with its own unique terminology and cultural references. This includes coded language for gendered hate speech, pseudoscience and other harmful lies – even certain phrases that might be considered harmless outside of these online communities.
While internet slang and the manosphere’s glossary are always expanding, familiarizing yourself with some of these common terms can help you spot misogynist content in your feed.
Online violence is real violence. The manosphere – an umbrella term for communities that promote harmful definitions of masculinity – serves as its nursery.
As UN Women, we are taking action against digital abuse, one of the fastest growing forms of gender-based violence, and countering the spread of the manosphere’s toxic influence.
The manosphere targets male audiences in all digital spaces, including social media, podcasts, gamer communities, and even dating apps. Many men and boys engage with the content in search of forums to learn about men’s issues. But the solutions and discussions veer far from healthy advice, promoting instead ideas of harsh self-discipline, emotional control and physical dominance over others, especially women and girls.
Like many communities, the manosphere spreads its ideas with its own unique terminology and cultural references. This includes coded language for gendered hate speech, pseudoscience and other harmful lies – even certain phrases that might be considered harmless outside of these online communities.
While internet slang and the manosphere’s glossary are always expanding, familiarizing yourself with some of these common terms can help you spot misogynist content in your feed.