Internet and the culture of the masculine
Anyone who has been hanging around social media for a while and frequenting those areas of the internet that discuss gender issues will surely have come across a new epidemic, the male loneliness epidemic. In fact, this is only the new form that the masculinist culture has taken, a form molded through the framework of social media and more generally of the internet. To this burdensome disease, which is completely self-inflicted, is added a larger container that cradles it: the manosphere. This subsection of the internet is composed of people who oppose feminism – and the feminine. The worldview proposed by its members is strongly patriarchal and misogynistic, categorizing all people into defined groups, from “alpha men,” at the peak of the social ladder, to “beta.” At the bottom of the scale are women, enemies to be treated as property, useful only for reproduction and domestic activities.
The manosphere is a reactionary phenomenon to the sociocultural changes that were being actively received by society, rejecting what the global right now calls woke. At a political level, this masculinist backlash has been fundamental in bringing extremist right-wing factions to prominence worldwide.
The main vector of this culture is social media, ranging from online communities to real influencers who propagate a vision that sees the feminine as the enemy, the evil of society. The main victims are people who cannot navigate contemporary society and feel uncomfortable, inadequate. The attraction to this world is also due to the simplicity of a violent and aggressive response instead of a understanding one; it requires less effort and less adaptation. This is how an incel, an involuntary celibate, and a “redpilled” person are created, referencing the scene in the movie Matrix where the protagonist is offered a red pill to discover the truth about the world he lives in.
The truth they find is a misogynistic and sexist vision propagated by the numerous creators who propose the easy, convenient solution: women are the problem, not “us” men. But there are men and men in the manosphere. A second fundamental characteristic is the continuous demoralization applied to these people. And following the shame comes the desire for revenge, which is expelled through socially accepted practices within the group: physical force, aggressiveness.
The real effect of a digital phenomenon is right before our eyes every day. Social media is an incredible means of propagation and affects an extremely vulnerable group: young people, of all genders but especially men and boys. A culture of possession germinates that sees the female gender as a luxury commodity, difficult to acquire and conquer through fame, money, and power. And once used, it loses value. This rhetoric is the result of the union between sexism and a legacy, with a Christian aftertaste, where virginity – but only female virginity – is a value to aspire to, and for men a good to consume. Men who are considered hierarchically higher on the social ladder become models.
However, all of this has a counterpart. It has no name and is rather disorganized, but it consists of creators, also found in Italy, who dismantle this rhetoric, who propagate different values where the individual matters for who they are and not for the money or physique they can acquire. It is fundamental that counter-information is spread in this area, and we all need to be part of it. It is necessary to orient ourselves toward more humane, correct, inclusive behavioral models, and the responsibility falls on each of us. The very fact that these phenomena exist shows how the male gender is still not adapted to the ongoing cultural change, and this is a problem that as a society we are unable to address effectively. If empathy is now considered a sin, let us at least make kindness a value.