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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Politics
Robert Booth UK technology editor

Society may have overestimated risk of the ‘manosphere’, UK researchers say

Man's hands on a computer keyboard
The study involved 38 men, and more misogynistic men may have declined to take part. Boys under 16 were also not included. Photograph: Westend61/Getty

Men who engage in the online “manosphere” and the content of Andrew Tate are often able to express a “strong commitment to equal treatment and fairness”, according to research commissioned by Ofcom.

Prompted by growing concerns about internet misogyny, researchers for the UK communications regulator followed the journeys of dozens of men through online content ranging from the US podcaster Joe Rogan to forums for “incels” (involuntary celibates). They found that while a minority encountered “extremely misogynistic content”, many users of the manosphere were critically engaged, selective and capable of discarding messages that did not resonate with their values.

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