Review: 'Inside the Manosphere'

Who would we recommend this for: If you’re looking for an introduction to the American manosphere and why people subscribe to the ideology perpetuated by influencers like Sneako, Andrew Tate and HSTikkyTokky. 

Did we enjoy it: It was funny because the show is intentionally directed to highlight the irony behind the influencers’ beliefs. However, we don’t think it provides insight into the full range of people who follow the ideology of these influencers, nor why more famous figures in this sphere of the Internet continue to maintain influence over their followers even after a long time. 

Anchored by Louis Theroux’s interviewing style, the film gives insight into the perspective of the creators and followers of the extreme end of persons in the ‘manosphere’. The ‘manosphere’ is an online, interconnected ecosystem of sites promoting extreme masculinity and anti-feminist ideologies. 

Through an intentionally condescending tone and provocatory questions, he allows his interview subjects to speak freely before pressing them on inconsistencies. While many subjects appear to present themselves as ideological figures defending male identities, the facade cracks as the documentary progresses. It reveals that the manosphere hosts a vicious cycle of people who create content (the “direction-givers”) who are subconsciously influenced by their followers (the supposed “direction-takers”) who respond and react via comment sections of live-streams to tell them what to say. What Theroux makes obvious is that the 'manosphere' creates an echo chamber that poisons the well for all who partake in it. 

Without giving too much away, this was most evident in his interactions with ‘HS TikkyTokky’ or Harrison Sullivan, a 24-year-old British TikTok influencer and fitness creator known for, and often criticized for, provocative lifestyle content and high-speed driving videos. After publicly ridiculing Bonnie Blue, an adult content creator known for allegedly sleeping with 1000 men in a day for her “scant” behaviour, Theroux presses him on the irony of running a business that takes a cut earned from Onlyfans Creators. Harrison’s response seems to understand the contradiction — he compares managing OnlyFans models to investing in a McDonald's branch, stating that even if he does not agree with the product, he will still profit from it “if it is a good investment”. Interestingly, Harrison also partakes in the content creation with the models as part of his own content roll-out. 

This documentary has focused on the most extreme part of the ecosystem which seems to run rife within American society. It’s unclear if it holds up a mirror to the attitude of young Singaporean men. 

It seems that in a local context, being "red-pilled" (a term used by persons within the extreme part of the manosphere to mean "waking up" to a supposed hidden reality where men are oppressed by women or society is deluded by left-wing ideologies) happens at home too. In 2021, an article published on the Straits Times talked about the misogynistic attitudes of men in national service. There has also been an undeniable shift in the roles Singaporean women and men play in their households (the resident female employment rate in Singapore has increased to 76.6%). The departure from gender roles requires a conscious detachment from what they observe around them and believe they ought to do, from what is right for them.

The concern is whether men (especially young men) look towards these self-asserted “pinnacles” of success for mentorship and guidance. The beginning of the interaction with this content may not be for the misogynistic content, but rather for the hope provided — that there is a way that they can 'become better' and to catapult themselves into a brighter, more comfortable future for them, and the people they love. 

This is not to say that young people are easily influenced and therefore simply led astray by these online influencers, as famous as they may be. The concern continues to be about accidentally or unintentionally interacting with content that has subtle “engagement bait” for too long (see more here about how your algorithm builds and why we keep falling for it, despite recognising what the algorithm is doing). Without a clear opposing viewpoint or a diversity of opinions within your feeds, it is easy to recognise one opinion as the truth.

In closing, we did feel uneasy watching the documentary. Theroux’s questioning comes across as unpalatable — most clearly in his conversation with Amrou Fudl (also known as Myron Gaines) about having a one-sided monogamous relationship with his girlfriend. Despite multiple attempts at deflecting the question, Theroux continued to push incessantly, even after he could see Fudl’s girlfriend, Angie, become very uncomfortable. She later shared with reporters that she begged the producers for her segment of the documentary to be taken out. While in the pursuit of truth, there are bound to third-parties who are pulled into the crosshairs; the producers might have seen Angie's segment as affirmation of her negative experience within the manosphere, but we felt it was unnecessary in proving what was already clear.

Nevertheless, 'Inside the Manosphere' poignantly asks the tough questions to those within the realm — are you as in control as you think you are?