The Manosphere’s Encroaching Political Power

The ‘Manosphere’ contributed significantly to Trump’s victory. Online communities could contribute to future Reform UK victories.

In the wake of Donald Trump’s second successful campaign for US president, political analysts shifted their lens for what constitutes a winning presidential campaign. In an article published just days after the result, Wired attributed the victory to Trump’s consistent appearances on so-called ‘manosphere’ podcasts. The UN Women website describes the manosphere as “a loose network of communities that claim to address men’s struggles…but often promote harmful advice and attitudes”, which are “united by an opposition to feminism and misrepresent men as victims of the current social and political climate”. You’ve likely heard some of the more popular names behind the movement, especially if you’ve had an awkward date with one of their disciples.  

Offline, these views can appear isolated, extremist, and even laughable in a time when women are consistently outperforming young men in higher education and employment circles. This success itself is often used as evidence of larger social issues, mainly society failing young men. Self-consciousness plays a huge part in this cycle. As women continue to break glass ceilings, they can reevaluate the nature of their relationships with men. There is no need for a male partner to hold a bank account, to own a home, to raise children, and so forth. So why date someone who thinks of you as property? The harder these young men struggle to impress their peers, the more they turn to content that promises to make them attractive or masculine. So, the cycle continues, and it bleeds into the social lives of young people. 

These views are amassing followers and have tangible political repercussions, as seen in the final days of the 2024 US presidential campaigns. Trump was thorough; he sat with manosphere podcasters, securing the vote of people who might otherwise limit their opinions to the web. 

The UK is not immune to this effect, with Nigel Farage amassing a following online, developing a relatable, humorous image that speaks to his audience.  A Guardian article in 2024 evaluated this audience and found prolific disillusionment amongst teenage boys with conventional parties and candidates. One interviewee said the Conservatives or Labour “feel like they’re reading from a script” whilst “Nigel Farage feels like a normal person”. It’s not hard to see the direction Farage is heading, taking a page from Trump’s book and “dishing up politics as entertainment”. The ‘manosphere’ is becoming a resource for Farage as well. He has appeared on Rob Moore’s Disruptors podcast and Strike It Big, both of which are designed to help the listener stand out as entrepreneurs and businessmen. This sounds appealing, especially during a time when the living costs are increasing, and young people are facing fewer options for reaching their parents’ financial milestones. Young working-class men with limited options have been a specific target of Farage as leader of his new reform party.

These podcasts quickly become a vehicle for right-wing rhetoric and for ‘relatable blokes’ like Farage to meet with a voting base on their terms. And in some areas of the UK, it’s already working. Andy Beckett of The Guardian described it as “playing British politics on easy mode”: a phenomenon he credits with Reform being a relatively new party, which does not yet have the responsibility of the opposition in parliament. A YouGov breakdown of the 2024 general election revealed that only 6 % of women aged 18-24 voted for Reform, while their male counterparts jumped up to 12 %. Class, education, and area are all important in voting patterns, but it would be remiss not to consider the impact these manosphere communities are creating in the political sphere. 

The movement has also become quite personal for many young women. Besides its attacks on feminist movements, the manosphere is a common dividing line in long-standing connections. One University of Glasgow student reflected on the emotional turmoil involved in “losing contact” with her brother due to his increasingly conservative and misogynistic beliefs. Growing up in an “anti-gun, anti-violence” household with left-leaning social views, her brother has turned to the military in his young adulthood and become “hostile” to her identity as a queer woman. When asked when she noticed this change, she cited Trump’s first presidential term and his growing interest in manosphere influencers, particularly Andrew Tate, during that period. She loves her brother but struggles to recognize the boy she grew up with: “he doesn’t want his girlfriends to have jobs, he thinks women should stay home.” People who lose loved ones to these communities often find it difficult to reach their peers once they’re initiated into these online echo-chambers. There is an overwhelming appeal in community during periods of loneliness and disillusionment. These online creators and their featured politicians count on the isolating influence of their rhetoric. The more one turns away from friends and family, their community offline, the more one’s sources of information are limited. Its impact on British politics is undeniable, and Labor has taken notice. Keir Starmer’s no. 10 enforcer Darren Jones likened Nigel Farage to Andrew Tate, calling them both “snake oil salesmen” and criticizing Farage’s message of “hate, division and othering”, which he sells to young boys. The ‘manosphere’ could very well become a central target for future election campaigns, but it remains to be seen how other communities may be pandered to online. Will left-wing politicians attempt to reach young audiences through the medium of podcasts and humorous online personas? What we know with certainty is that the political turn of the ‘manosphere’ means division, and not just between parties.