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Cited by 1,245Gender, Feminism, and MediaGender and Feminist StudiesGender Roles and Identity Studies

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

Ging, Debbie·2019·Men and Masculinities
DOI 10.1177/1097184x17706401
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Abstract

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.

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Crossref · 10.1177/1097184x17706401

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37 of 37 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

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  • Confirming previous literature, the accounts aimed to expose women's privilege, unattractive men's victimisation at the hand of women and the immutability of the incel condition.

    “Confirming previous literature (Baele et al., 2019; Chang, 2020; Ging, 2017), the accounts aimed to expose women's privilege, unattractive men's victimisation at the hand of women and the immutability of the incel condition.”

    From Mainstreaming the Blackpill: Understanding the Incel Community on TikTok (2023) · cites this paper as Ging, 2017

  • Red Pill Podcast constituye simultáneamente un dispositivo y una pedagogía de la manosfera, caracterizada por la naturalización del androcentrismo, la deslegitimación del feminismo y la producción discursiva de una masculinidad en crisis.

    “En conjunto, puede afirmarse que Red Pill Podcast constituye simultáneamente un dispositivo y una pedagogía de la manosfera, caracterizada por la naturalización del androcentrismo, la deslegitimación del feminismo y la producción discursiva de una masculinidad en crisis (Ging, 2019;Ging et al., 2024).”

    From Sintonizando la manosfera en TikTok España: contenido y discurso de Red Pill Podcast (2026) · cites this paper as Ging, 2019

  • The formalization of the four subcultures in the Manosphere of the English-speaking world identified by Lilly (2016) and Ging (2019) forms the conceptual framework of this study.

    “The formalization of the four subcultures in the Manosphere of the English-speaking world identified by Lilly (2016) and Ging (2019), among other authors, and, moreover, revalidated in other recent research conducted in the European Mediterranean area”

    From Misogyny and the construction of toxic masculinity in the Spanish Manosphere (Burbuja.info) (2023) · cites this paper as Ging, 2019

  • Men's subordination claim emboldens incel's victimhood status and serves as a tool to reassert their hegemony in online spaces, demonstrating the role hybrid masculine practices play in justifying and enacting their misogyny.

    “Men's subordination claim emboldens incel's victimhood status and serves as a tool to reassert their hegemony in online spaces (Ging, 2017), demonstrating the role hybrid masculine practices play in justifying and enacting their misogyny.”

    From Mainstreaming the Blackpill: Understanding the Incel Community on TikTok (2023) · cites this paper as Ging, 2017

  • Feminist advances in gender equality, and progressive social movements are blamed for the unjust sexual market, women's privilege and men's supposed oppression and diminished status.

    “Thus, feminist advances in gender equality, and progressive social movements are blamed for the unjust sexual market, women's privilege and men's supposed oppression and diminished status (Ging, 2017; Messner, 1998).”

    From Mainstreaming the Blackpill: Understanding the Incel Community on TikTok (2023) · cites this paper as Ging, 2017

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Authors
Ging, D.
Affiliations
Dublin City University (IE)
Corresponding author
Ging, Debbie
ORCID
Ging, Debbie
Venue
Men and Masculinities
Publisher
SAGE Publications
Published
2017-05-10
Volume
22
Issue
4
Pages
638-657
ISSN
  • 1097-184X (ISSN-L)
  • 1552-6828
DOI
10.1177/1097184x17706401
OpenAlex
W2612191247
Cited by
1,245
References
37
Citations by year
2026: 228 · 2025: 234 · 2024: 208 · 2023: 144 · 2022: 152 · 2021: 102 · 2020: 122 · 2019: 37 · 2018: 17 · 2017: 1
FWCI
100.39
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Licence
journals.sagepub.com/page/policies/text-and-data-mining-license (tdm)
Locations
  • Men and Masculinities (publishedVersion)
  • Dublin City University Open Access Institutional Repository (Dublin City University) (submittedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Gender Studies › Gender, Feminism, and Media
  • Social Sciences › Gender Studies › Gender and Feminist Studies
  • Social Sciences › Gender Studies › Gender Roles and Identity Studies
Keywords
manosphere, masculinity, anti-feminism, incels, involuntary celibacy, victimhood, hegemonic masculinity, men's rights, social media, online communities, male hegemony, Web 2.0

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