This report is part of our wider set of research activities that explore a range of experiences and views about the online environment. This research report sets out findings and themes from our qualitative research with people who view, engage with or create content associated with the manosphere online. It explores their experiences, attitudes and media literacy.
This in-depth qualitative research focuses on the broad context for online misogyny: users’ experiences of online spaces where existing literature suggests such content may proliferate, sometimes referred to as the manosphere, as well as the life events and circumstances which might lead individuals to engage in such spaces. The research explores the first-hand experiences of 38 men and 1 woman engaging with the online manosphere: their journeys into it, their views and reflections on it, and to explore if and how harm may occur as a result.
Please see below for additional context and clarification to this report:
Background and purpose of the report
This research was commissioned to inform how we exercise our regulatory media literacy functions in relation to content and activity disproportionately affecting women and girls. It was designed to understand the first-hand experiences of people engaging with the online manosphere, their journeys into it, their views and reflections on it, including their views on whether or not it was harmful to them or others.
Based on the available evidence, we identified research into men and boys’ attitudes and experiences as a research gap in the literature, one that also supports our statutory duties in relation to the Online Safety Act.
This qualitative research is one among more than 40 pieces of research carried out by Ofcom over the last year into media literacy and online safety, including studies focused on the experiences of survivors and victims. The methodology is clear about the challenges and limitations of this type of research. The report is not a definitive statement about the role and impact of content in ‘the manosphere’ (as defined below) and should be considered alongside the wealth of academic research and other literature on this topic.
This report provides insights from a particular and rarely researched angle, and an additional perspective about the consumption of this type of material and how harms may manifest. In doing so it helps shed a light on potential root causes and pathways to harm which allow us to better develop successful mitigations that address the risks identified.
The points made in the conclusion of Revealing Reality’s report have been drawn from and reference participants’ own views and are not intended to be definitive statements of what content is harmful, or the risks of harm associated with engaging with such content.
Definition of ‘the manosphere’ used in this report
There are various definitions of ‘the manosphere’. The definition used in this research and referenced on page 3 is from the Collins Dictionary; “A loose agglomeration of blogs, websites and forums dedicated to men’s issues” which we consider encompasses a broader range of content focused on and targeted towards men. We recognise that this spans a wide range of content, from content focussed on self-improvement and fitness to explicitly violent and misogynistic content.
Clarification of methodology
Page 8: The report describes some examples of content as ambiguous: “Other examples reviewed were more challenging to assess, given ambiguity as to whether they were promoting misogynistic ideas”. The use of the term ‘ambiguity’ here does not mean that all content within these themes was free from misogyny, but rather that some content examples were less clear than others.