Memes, trolls and the manosphere: mapping the manifold expressions of antifeminism and misogyny online

Abstract

ABSTRACT Through a number of case studies, this article will conduct an analysis of the sometimes seemingly ubiquitous antifeminism, and even misogyny, in certain anglophone online spaces, and of their roots in older historical antifeminist discourses. It will also discuss how this patriarchal backlash is strategically presented by its proponents as an indicator of a crisis in contemporary masculinity, and to what extent it is part of a wider phenomenon of reaction against progressive advances, in both online and offline spaces.