The DOI matches its Crossref record; 44 of the 44 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Drinking male tears: language, the manosphere, and networked harassment
Open accessAbstract
While popular discourse often frames online harassment as an issue of individuals engaged in abhorrent behavior, harassing behavior is often networked in that it is coordinated and organized. When feminists and female public figures experience harassment, it often originates from members of a loose online network known as the manosphere, a set of blogs, podcasts, and forums comprised of pickup artists, men’s rights activists, anti-feminists, and fringe groups. While the particular beliefs of these groups may differ, many participants have adopted a common language. This paper explores the discourse of the manosphere and its links to online misogyny and harassment. Using critical discourse analysis, we examine the term misandry, which originates in the manosphere; trace its infiltration into more mainstream circles; and analyze its ideological and community-building functions. We pay particular attention to how this vocabulary reinforces a misogynistic ontology which paints feminism as a man-hating movement which victimizes men and boys.
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In the citing paper
“In response to the rise of the feminist movement, several misogynist and anti-feminist groups have emerged (Jaki et al., 2019; Marwick & Caplan, 2018).”
From Technology-Facilitated Gender-Based Violence, Hate Speech, and Terrorism: A Risk Assessment on the Rise of the Incel Rebellion in Canada (2023) · cites this paper as Marwick & Caplan, 2018
In the citing paper
“Incels’ distortion of science occurs in the broader context of misinformation and disinformation, wherein communities misuse or manufacture research findings to support an ideological agenda (Marwick & Caplan, 2018).”
From Stochastic Gender-Based Violence: How Incels Justify and Encourage Sexualized Violence Against Women (2025) · cites this paper as Marwick & Caplan, 2018
In the citing paper
“For instance, several misogynist platforms employ 'misandry' as a buzzword to accuse feminists of discriminating against men, in discourses whose circulation drastically increased because of the networking potential of social media.”
From “Victims of feminism”: exploring networked misogyny and #MeToo in the manosphere (2023) · cites this paper as Alice E. Marwick and Robyn Caplan 2018
In the citing paper
“Drawing from the framework of online misogyny, (Alice E. Marwick and Robyn Caplan 2018) explain how the manosphere is networked in spreading ideologies that criminalize women and feminism.”
From “Victims of feminism”: exploring networked misogyny and #MeToo in the manosphere (2023) · cites this paper as Alice E. Marwick and Robyn Caplan 2018
In the citing paper
“Similar to other manosphere communities (e.g., Gotell & Dutton, 2016; Marwick & Caplan, 2018; Van Valkenburgh, 2021), incels are hostile toward both feminism and women's agency.”
From Stochastic Gender-Based Violence: How Incels Justify and Encourage Sexualized Violence Against Women (2025) · cites this paper as Marwick & Caplan, 2018
In the citing paper
“Research on networked misogyny and TFSV has demonstrated that online harassment and stalking has tangible impacts on women's lives (Marwick & Caplan, 2018; Veletsianos et al., 2018).”
From Stochastic Gender-Based Violence: How Incels Justify and Encourage Sexualized Violence Against Women (2025) · cites this paper as Marwick & Caplan, 2018
In the citing paper
“The MRM is a backlash movement initiated by men in response to the rise of feminism and the changing role of women (Marwick & Caplan, 2018).”
From Technology-Facilitated Gender-Based Violence, Hate Speech, and Terrorism: A Risk Assessment on the Rise of the Incel Rebellion in Canada (2023) · cites this paper as Marwick & Caplan, 2018
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Metadata
- Authors
- Marwick, A. E., & Caplan, R.
- Affiliations
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (US)
- Data & Society Research Institute (US)
- Corresponding author
- Marwick, Alice E.
- Venue
- Feminist Media Studies
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited
- Published
- 2018-03-26
- Volume
- 18
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 543-559
- ISSN
- 1468-0777 (ISSN-L)
- 1471-5902
- OpenAlex
- W2789889202
- Cited by
- 495
- References
- 44
- Citations by year
- 2026: 86 · 2025: 77 · 2024: 67 · 2023: 70 · 2022: 58 · 2021: 44 · 2020: 52 · 2019: 40 · 2018: 1
- FWCI
- 63.72
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- doi.org
- Locations
- Feminist Media Studies (publishedVersion)
- Carolina Digital Repository (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill) (submittedVersion)
- UNC Libraries
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Gender Studies › Gender, Feminism, and Media
- Social Sciences › Gender Studies › Gender and Feminist Studies
- Physical Sciences › Computer Science › Artificial Intelligence › Hate Speech and Cyberbullying Detection
- Keywords
- manosphere, online harassment, misandry, online misogyny, men's rights activism, anti-feminism, feminist discourse, misogyny, community building, language and ideology
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