Manosphere in the Balkans: It’s a real thing

Manosphere. Incels. The 80/20 rule.

These terms gained broader attention after Netflix aired Adolescence, a show that follows a 13-year-old boy arrested for the murder of a girl at his school.  The famous series sparked conversations among women about toxic masculinity and “alfa male” behaviour. But did men  have the same discussions? Let’s hope so.

The underlying ideologies of the TV show are not fictional; it’s even far from fictional. Women – and men – feel the influence of the manosphere across the globe, including the Balkans.

UN Women defines manosphere as an umbrella term for online communities that have increasingly promoted narrow and aggressive definitions of what it means to be a man – and the false narrative that feminism and gender equality have come at the cost of men’s rights.

One of the most prominent figures in the manosphere is Andrew Tate, an influencer who gained fame among young men through his misogynistic rhetoric. Despite being charged by Romanian authorities in 2023 with human trafficking and rape, his popularity has remained largely unaffected. He continues to promote hypermasculinity and traditional gender roles, consistently positioning women as inferior.

Subtitled clips of Tate’s videos are shared widely on Serbian social media. But the influence doesn’t stop there. A growing local manosphere is beginning to take shape.

There are plenty of public figures who are promoting the same harmful values and spreading them across platforms like YouTube, TikTok, Telegram, and on mainstream media.

Peeking into the manosphere: What’s actually there?

Feminist and content creator Nikolina Pavićević, known as the face behind the popular Instagram account “Kritički” (which translates to “Critically” and focuses on feminism, women’s issues, and related social topics) says that incels are the most well-known and obvious example of the manosphere.

Merriam Webster dictionary defines incel as someone (usually a man) who regards himself or herself as being involuntarily celibate and typically expresses extreme resentment and hostility toward those who are sexually active.

Besides incels, the manosphere also includes pick-up artists – men who “teach” other men how to seduce women using scripted lines, manipulation tactics, and psychological strategies, turning women into “targets” and the entire process into a “game”.

The manosphere also includes the Red Pill community – a group of men who use the metaphor of “taking the red pill” to describe an “awakening” to what they see as truths about gender and relationships, often through a traditional and anti-feminist perspective.

Another common element is so-called alpha male training, which teaches men to be hypermasculine, dominant, and assertive, once again reinforcing traditional gender roles.

The 80/20 rule that was mentioned in the beginning represents the idea that 80 per cent of women are attracted to 20 per cent of men – a growing belief among young men about modern dating dynamics.

Unlike Andrew Tate’s aggressive and provocative style, many manosphere ideas are actually being delivered in a calm tone, often by “intellectual and well-dressed” men, or at least by those who appear that way, says Nikolina Pavićević.

“You see a man as patriarchy imagines him – an older man, a professor, someone with strong principles, wearing blazers and ties. He speaks in a seemingly calm tone and expresses just enough emotion to stay within the limits of what’s socially acceptable for a man. And that’s exactly what makes the message easy to digest and easy for them to latch onto,” says Pavićević.

All these “rules” and elements are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the manosphere.

How does the manosphere work?

The manosphere spreads through social media, recommendation algorithms, and influencers who often present ideas as self-improvement advice.

But  why don’t young women see that content?

Social media algorithms are set up differently depending on whether you’re a man or a woman, explains Nikolina Pavićević.

“I asked some men with right-wing views to show me their TikTok algorithms. My feed and theirs looked like two completely different internets, there was no overlap at all. Even when we did find something in common, mine would be feminist content, and theirs would be a horrible reaction to that same content. So, in the end, we still weren’t seeing the same thing, not even close,” says Pavićević.

If you create a new account and set the gender to male, you’ll get completely different content which is often misogynistic and sexist.

“People tend to think they’re immune to media and the influence of social networks, but they’re not. What we consume online inevitably shapes us. Still, I think many people aren’t even aware of that. They’ll say things like: ‘Well, that just pops up on my feed,’ when they follow manosphere influencers. Or they’ll dismiss it with: ‘He doesn’t actually mean it,’ or ‘He just said that to go viral.’ In other words, they find ways to downplay the impact,” says Pavićević.

Manosphere – nothing new

If we look at it from a different perspective and beyond the online world, the root of the manosphere is actually patriarchy. Shocker, I know.

The only new thing is that these same values are now being shared online.

But don’t get me wrong, it doesn’t stop there. They constantly circulate between the online and offline worlds.

Founder of the Serbian feminist cultural centre BeFem Jelena Višnjić explains that the same kind of heteronormativity and patriarchy that has always existed is now being reproduced in online spaces. “It’s just an expansion of the old set of discriminatory practices, now including things like revenge porn, various forms of bullying, and online harassment.”

This digital reproduction of patriarchy also shapes how women are perceived and treated.

Višnjić adds that the men who promote manosphere views cannot tolerate any form of women’s emancipation or deviation from traditional, stereotypical roles.

“Their hatred is especially directed at feminists and women who are visible in public and media spaces. Any kind of power coming from women is unimaginable to them. In their view, feminism is to blame for everything – for taking away men’s rights, women, and children. Feminism, they say, has destroyed the family,” says Višnjić.

Consequences are bigger than we can imagine

Online misogyny and the manosphere are spilling into the real world, fuelling gender-based violence that is already deeply rooted in society.

Višnjić says that when different forms of masculinity or male behaviour are legitimized, and society fails to impose consequences for violent acts, it reveals a much deeper systemic failure. “It’s not just about the media and public discourse, but also about the judiciary and prosecution. What happens to men who have been violent toward women? Are they even arrested, prosecuted? Young men, even if they don’t follow traditional media, can open a news portal and see: a man killed a woman, he had a restraining order, and still, nothing happened.”

Writer Margaret Atwood once said, “Men are afraid that women will laugh at them. Women are afraid that men will kill them.” It may sound extreme, but it isn’t.

If you’re a woman, have you ever felt unsafe walking alone at night? Do you pretend to talk on the phone, just in case someone starts following you? Do you text your friends when you get home, finally able to breathe again?

If the answer is yes, then what Atwood wrote isn’t just a quote, it’s reality. And it shouldn’t be.

Višnjić says that society must realise that the road from online to offline violence is very short.

Even if it stays in the online world, it doesn’t mean it’s less horrifying. No. Online bullying and harassment are a form of violence, with real psychological consequences. And the manosphere is normalising this behaviour.

What is mainstream media doing?

Simply put, it’s helping the manosphere.

Journalist and media ethics expert Tamara Skrozza says that the radically patriarchal way of thinking has been mainstream in Serbian traditional media for years. “It’s not seen as something particularly important or special, it’s just taken for granted.”

Even with the most serious cases, such as femicides, traditional media – especially tabloids – manage to portray the man who murdered the woman as a victim.

“I see this as a serious tendency in the articles. The man is portrayed as the victim of the woman’s character. He was the one suffering through her flirting, her makeup, her independence – all traits considered undesirable in women. The man is just dealing with all of this, and eventually, he snaps. This isn’t stated explicitly in those articles, but it can easily be read between the lines,” says Skrozza.

It often happens that when femicide is in the spotlight, tabloids publish articles claiming that a worrying number of men are victims of domestic violence, even though the number is much higher for women.

Also,  Skrozza says that tabloids and nationally broadcast TV channels in Serbia often invite people who are not relevant to feminist topics but who promote radically patriarchal views, shifting the narrative away from structural violence against women.

That’s when they rely on the presenting “both sides” rule, which, frankly, makes little sense when it comes to human rights issues.

Additionally, women are less often featured as experts or speakers on serious topics in the media. From this, one might mistakenly conclude that women are less informed or educated about serious and scientific matters.

“We can see that, in various ways, this approach to life is promoted, where men are seen as more valuable, where men are victims of female terror, and where men are, so to speak, number one on the planet,” says Skrozza.

On the other hand, when it comes to feminism, that is portrayed as a bogeyman threatening traditional values. “In mainstream media, feminism equals an aggressive woman, an immoral woman, a non-traditional woman, an unacceptable woman. No one will say it like that, but it’s implied,” says Skrozza.

What can we do?

Education is always the right path. But – and this is important – it must come from both men and women.

As Nikolina Pavićević points out, just as women tend to bond and listen to other women, men are more likely to listen to and look up to other men.

“We are a patriarchal society. I don’t think it’s realistic or fair to expect women to completely change everything – every part of the internet, life, and daily routine,” says Pavićević.

This also applies to things in private life.

“I think men should be addressing other men when it comes to these issues and really take their time to act. For example, if you see a friend harassing a woman, you shouldn’t just think: ‘Well, that’s just how he is,’ but actually do something about it. The same goes for online space – when you see this kind of behaviour spreading, you should speak up instead of staying silent, thinking, ‘I’m one of the good men,’” says Pavićević.

Additionally, Višnjić says that it’s very important for representatives of feminist and youth groups to be included in school systems. “And together, they should teach democracy and civic rights. I believe that dialogue, education, empathy, and learning to listen to each other and embrace diversity is probably the only way forward.”

On a more optimistic note, Višnjić says that the new generation of women and feminists has truly broken the silence around misogyny and the violence women endure, especially by using online spaces. “I believe that these various oppressive practices will become much more visible.”

She adds that young women are breaking down the boundaries that patriarchy has built over centuries.

“Today, young women in small rural communities probably access information and deconstruct social stigmas much faster than women from our generation could. So, I really think online spaces can be places of freedom if we manage to use them effectively,” Višnjić concludes.

In the end, when – not if – society breaks away from patriarchy, the media will change too. Media has always been, and will always be, a reflection of the society it serves. Change might seem impossible now, but not so long ago, even the idea of women voting seemed like a fantasy.

Author: Iva Gajić