Alphas, Betas, and Incels: Theorizing the Masculinities of the Manosphere

First Published May 10, 2017 Research Article

Authors

1
 
School of Communications, Dublin City University, Glasnevin, Dublin, Ireland
by this author
First Published Online: May 10, 2017

Since the emergence of Web 2.0 and social media, a particularly toxic brand of antifeminism has become evident across a range of online networks and platforms. Despite multiple internal conflicts and contradictions, these diverse assemblages are generally united in their adherence to Red Pill “philosophy,” which purports to liberate men from a life of feminist delusion. This loose confederacy of interest groups, broadly known as the manosphere, has become the dominant arena for the communication of men’s rights in Western culture. This article identifies the key categories and features of the manosphere and subsequently seeks to theorize the masculinities that characterize this discursive space. The analysis reveals that, while there are some continuities with older variants of antifeminism, many of these new toxic assemblages appear to complicate the orthodox alignment of power and dominance with hegemonic masculinity by operationalizing tropes of victimhood, “beta masculinity,” and involuntary celibacy (incels). These new hybrid masculinities provoke important questions about the different functioning of male hegemony off- and online and indicate that the technological affordances of social media are especially well suited to the amplification of new articulations of aggrieved manhood.

Ahmed, S. 2004. The Cultural Politics of Emotion. Edinburgh, UK: Edinburgh University Press.
Google Scholar
Anderson, E. 2008a. “Inclusive Masculinity in a Fraternal Setting.” Men and Masculinities 10:60420.
Google Scholar | SAGE Journals | ISI
Anderson, E. 2009. Inclusive Masculinity: The Changing Nature of Masculinities. London, UK: Routledge.
Google Scholar
Andrejevic, M. 2013. Infoglut: How Too Much Information Is Changing the Way We Think and Know. New York: Routledge.
Google Scholar | Crossref
Bridges, T., Pascoe, C. J. 2014. “Hybrid Masculinities: New Directions in the Sociology of Men and Masculinities.” Sociology Compass 8:24658.
Google Scholar | Crossref
Carrigan, T., Connell, B., Lee, J. 1985. “Toward a New Sociology of Masculinity.” Theory and Society 14:551604.
Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI
Carroll, H. 2011. Affirmative Reaction: New Formations of White Masculinity. Durham, NC: Duke University Press.
Google Scholar | Crossref
Cameron, D. 2015. “Evolution, Language and the Battle of the Sexes.” Australian Feminist Studies 30:35158.
Google Scholar | Crossref
Chemaly, S . 2015. “Mass Killings in the US: Masculinity, Masculinity, Masculinity.” The Huffington Post, October 5. Accessed October 22, 2015. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/soraya-chemaly/mass-killings-in-the-us-w_b_8234322.html.
Google Scholar
Citron, D. K. 2014. Hate Crimes in CyberSpace. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Google Scholar | Crossref
Connell, R. W., Messerschmidt, J. 2005. “Hegemonic Masculinity: Rethinking the Concept.” Gender and Society 19:82959.
Google Scholar | SAGE Journals | ISI
De Boise, S. 2014. “I’m Not Homophobic, ‘I’ve Got Gay Friends’: Evaluating the Validity of Inclusive Masculinity.” Men and Masculinities 18:31839.
Google Scholar | SAGE Journals
Dean, J. 2003. “Why the Net Is Not a Public Sphere.” Constellations 10:95112.
Google Scholar | Crossref
Demetriou, D. Z. 2001. “Connell’s Concept of Hegemonic Masculinity: A Critique.” Theory and Society 30:33761.
Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI
Dewey, C . 2014. “Inside the ‘Manosphere’ That Inspired Santa Barbara Shooter Elliot Rodger.” The Washington Post, May 27. Accessed September 20, 2015. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-intersect/wp/2014/05/27/inside-the-manosphere-that-inspired-santa-barbara-shooter-elliot-rodger/.
Google Scholar
Filipovic, J. 2007. “Blogging While Female: How Internet Misogyny Parallels Real-world Harassment.” Yale Journal of Law and Feminism 19:295304.
Google Scholar
Flores, C., Hess, A. 2016. “Simply More than Swiping Left: A Critical Analysis of Performative Masculinities on the Tinder Nightmares Instagram Page.” Paper presented at the 87th annual convention of the Western States Communication Association, San Diego, CA, February 28.
Google Scholar
Futrelle, D . 2016. “Richard Dawkins, Lindy West, and the Cartoon Video of Great Hatefulness.” We Hunted the Mammoth, January 28. Accessed August 3, 2016. http://www.wehuntedthemammoth.com/2016/01/28/richard-dawkins-lindy-west-and-the-cartoon-video-of-great-hatefulness/.
Google Scholar
Garkey, O. 2014. “Elliot Rodger, Gunman in California Mass Shooting, was influenced by the ‘Men’s Rights Movement’.” Daily Kos, May 24. Accessed August 16, 2015. http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/05/24/1301671/-Elliot-Roger-Gunman-in-California-Mass-Shooting-was-influenced-by-the-Men-s-Rights-Movement#.
Google Scholar
Ging, D. 2009. “All-consuming Images: New Gender Formations in Post-celtic-tiger Ireland.” In Transforming Ireland: Challenges, Critiques and Resources, edited by Ging, D., Cronin, M., Kirby, P., 5270. Manchester, UK: Manchester University Press.
Google Scholar
Hanke, R. 1998. “Theorizing Masculinity With/In the Media.” Communication Theory 8:183203.
Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI
Ironwood, I . 2013. The Manosphere: A New Hope for Masculinity. Otto, NC: Red Pill Press.
Google Scholar
Jane, E. 2017. Misogyny Online: A Short (and Brutish) History. London, UK: Sage.
Google Scholar | Crossref
Kendall, L. 2011. “‘White and Nerdy’: Computers, Race, and the Nerd Stereotype.” Journal of Popular Culture 44:50524.
Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI
Kimmel, M. 2015. Angry White Men: American Masculinity at the End of an Era. New York: Nation Books.
Google Scholar
Kupers, T. A. 2005. “Toxic Masculinity as a Barrier to Mental Health Treatment in Prison.” Journal of Clinical Psychology 61:71324.
Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline | ISI
Lindlof, T. R., Taylor, B. C. 2010. Qualitative Communication Research Methods. London, UK: Sage.
Google Scholar
Marche, S . 2016. “Swallowing the Red Pill: A Journey to the Heart of Modern Misogyny.” The Guardian, April 14. Accessed April 26, 2016. https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/apr/14/the-red-pill-reddit-modern-misogyny-manosphere-men.
Google Scholar
Massanari, A . 2015. “#Gamergate and The Fappening: How Reddit’s Algorithm, Governance, and Culture Support Toxic Technocultures.” New Media and Society 19: 32946. doi:10.1177/1461444815608807.
Google Scholar | SAGE Journals
McCormack, M. 2012. The Declining Significance of Homophobia: How Teenage Boys are Redefining Masculinity and Heterosexuality. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.
Google Scholar | Crossref
Messner, M. A. 1997. Politics of Masculinities: Men in Movements. Thousand Oaks: University of Southern California, Sage.
Google Scholar
Messner, M. A. 1998. “The Limits of ‘The Male Sex Role’: An Analysis of the Men’s Liberation and Men’s Rights Movements’ Discourse.” Gender and Society 12:25576.
Google Scholar | SAGE Journals | ISI
Messner, M. A. 2016. “Forks in the Road of Men’s Gender Politics: Men’s Rights vs Feminist Allies.” International Journal for Crime, Justice and Social Democracy 5:620.
Google Scholar | Crossref
Messner, M. A., Montez de Oca, J. 2005. “The Male Consumer as Loser: Beer and Liquor Ads in Mega Sports Media Events.” Signs 30:1879909.
Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI
Miltner, K . 2014. “‘There’s no Place for Lulz on LOLCats’: The Role of Genre, Gender, and Group Identity in the Interpretation and Enjoyment of an Internet Meme.” First Monday, 19. Accessed October 2, 2015. http://journals.uic.edu/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/5391/4103#author.
Google Scholar
Nagle, A . 2015. “Contemporary Online Anti-feminist Movements” PhD thesis, Dublin City University, Dublin.
Google Scholar
Nagle, A . 2016. “The New Man of 4/Chan.” The Baffler, 30. Accessed June 6, 2016. http://thebaffler.com/salvos/new-man-4chan-nagle.
Google Scholar
O’Neill, R. 2014. “Whither Critical Masculinity Studies? Notes on Inclusive Masculinity Theory, Postfeminism, and Sexual Politics.” Men and Masculinities 18:10020.
Google Scholar | SAGE Journals
O’Neill, R. 2015a. “The Work of Seduction: Intimacy and Subjectivity in the London ‘Seduction Community’.” Sociological Research Online 20:5. Accessed December 5, 2015. http://www.socresonline.org.uk/20/4/5.html.
Google Scholar
O’Neill, R. 2015b. “Feminist Encounters with Evolutionary Psychology.” Australian Feminist Studies 30:34550.
Google Scholar | Crossref
Papacharissi, Z. 2014. Affective Publics: Sentiment, Technology, and Politics. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.
Google Scholar | Crossref
Papacharissi, Z. 2016. “Affective Publics and Structures of Storytelling: Sentiment, Events and Mediality.” Information, Communication & Society 19:30724.
Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI
Savran, D. 1998. Taking it Like a Man. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
Google Scholar | Crossref
Shifman, L. 2013. Memes in Digital Culture. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press.
Google Scholar | Crossref
Siapera, E . 2015. “‘#Everdaysexism and Online Misogyny: Reconsidering the Gender Wars.” Paper delivered at Console-ing Passions Conference, Dublin, June 19.
Google Scholar
Thompson, L. 2016. “#DickPics are no Joke: Cyber-flashing, Misogyny and Online Dating.” The Conversation, February 3. Accessed March 25, 2016. https://theconversation.com/dickpics-are-no-joke-cyber-flashing-misogyny-and-online-dating-53843.
Google Scholar
Turton-Turner, P. 2013. “Villainous Avatars: The Visual Semiotics of Misogyny and Free Speech in Cyberspace.” Forum on Public Policy 1:118.
Google Scholar
Williams, M. E . 2015‘The Beta Rebellion has Begun’: 4chan Warnings about more School Shootings aren’t ‘Satire’-they’re Sick.” Salon, October 5. Accessed November 18, 2015. http://www.salon.com/2015/10/05/the_beta_rebellion_has_begun_4chan_warnings_about_more_school_shootings_arent_satire_theyre_sick/.
Google Scholar

Access content

To read the fulltext, please use one of the options below to sign in or purchase access.
  • Access Options

    My Account

    Welcome
    You do not have access to this content.

    Chinese Institutions / 中国用户

    Click the button below for the full-text content

    请点击以下获取该全文

    Institutional Login

    Purchase Content

    24 hours online access to download content

    Added to Cart

    Cart is full

    There is currently no price available for this item in your region.

    Research off-campus without worrying about access issues. Find out about Lean Library here


Purchase

JMM-article-ppv for GBP29.00
JMM-article-ppv for $37.50
Single Issue 24 hour E-access for GBP204.53
Single Issue 24 hour E-access for $245.06