Research/Study
Manosphere influencers are promoting abuse and violence against women
Young men are being influenced by misogynistic figures like Andrew Tate, Sneako, and Jon Zherka. Parents in particular should be aware of the dangers these figures pose.
Published
Content warning: This article contains images and descriptions of violence.
“Manosphere” personalities including Andrew Tate, Sneako, and Jon Zherka are promoting abuse and extreme violence against women online. These influencers have defended beating women, mocked abuse survivors, and called for the acceptance of abuse against women similar to customs in Saudi Arabia.
These figures are part of the manosphere, an online community of right-wing websites, bloggers, and influencers cultivating a worldview based on a conservative and regressive gender politics repackaged for the internet age. The group often pushes extremism and antisemitism while blaming women for myriad societal woes and treating them as an inferior sex.
Some of these figures use other topics that interest young men — like weightlifting, video games, and boxing — to draw in viewers before diving into extremist content and misogyny, creating a dangerous pipeline.
Reporting shows how easily toxic rhetoric can infiltrate the minds of young audiences, even among users as young as 11 years old. Parents in particular should be aware of the dangers these figures pose. Additionally, this misogynistic and extremist rhetoric does not live in a vacuum online; it can lead to real-world violence and harassment.