What in the World
What in the World
What’s the ‘manosphere’ and why is it harmful?
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28 August 2025
15 minutes
Available for over a year
Toxic masculinity can be seen online - and IRL. Chads, Alphas and Stacys are some terms that are used in an online space known as the ‘manosphere’. In this space men often share content that can be toxic, misogynistic, and, in extreme cases, lead to real-world violence.
In this episode the BBC’s global disinformation reporter Jacqui Wakefield unpacks how people can become part of the ‘manosphere’, and how it connect to incels - young men describing themselves as "involuntarily celibate". And we also hear from Will Adolphy, a British psychotherapist who experienced the ‘manosphere’ himself and now mentors men on healthy masculinity and mental health.
Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld
Email: [email protected]
WhatsApp: +44 330 12 33 22 6
Presenter: William Lee Adams
Producers: Mora Morrison and Maria Clara Montoya
Video Journalist: Baldeep Chahal
Editor: Verity Wilde
