Making a Radical Misogynist: How online social engagement with the Manosphere influences traits of radicalization

Hussam Habib; Padmini Srinivasan; Rishab Nithyanand

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Making a Radical Misogynist: How online social engagement with the Manosphere influences traits of radicalization

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Making a Radical Misogynist: How online social engagement with the Manosphere influences traits of radicalization

Hussam Habib, Padmini Srinivasan and Rishab Nithyanand

ArXiv.org

02/17/2022

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https://arxiv.org/abs/2202.08805View

Preprint (Author's original)This preprint has not been evaluated by subject experts through peer review. Preprints may undergo extensive changes and/or become peer-reviewed journal articles. Open Access

Abstract

The algorithms and the interactions facilitated by online platforms have been used by radical groups to recruit vulnerable individuals to their cause. This has resulted in the sharp growth of violent events and deteriorating online discourse. The Manosphere, a collection of radical anti-feminist communities, is one such group which has attracted attention due to their rapid growth and increasingly violent real world outbursts. In this paper, we examine the social engagements between Reddit users who have participated in feminist discourse and the Manosphere communities on Reddit to understand the process of development of traits associated with the adoption of extremist ideologies. By using existing research on the psychology of radicalization we track how specific types of social engagement with the Manosphere influence the development of traits associated with radicalization. Our findings show that: (1) participation, even by the simple act of joining the Manosphere, has a significant influence on the language and outlook traits of a user, (2) Manosphere elites are extremely effective propagators of radical traits and cause their increase even outside the Manosphere, and (3) community perception can heavily influence a user's behavior. Finally, we examine how our findings can help draft community and platform moderation policies to help mitigate the problem of online radicalization.

Computer Science - Social and Information Networks

Details

Title: Subtitle: Making a Radical Misogynist: How online social engagement with the Manosphere influences traits of radicalization
Creators: Hussam Habib
Padmini Srinivasan
Rishab Nithyanand
Resource Type: Preprint
Publication Details: ArXiv.org
ISSN: 2331-8422
Language: English
Date posted: 02/17/2022
Academic Unit: Nursing; Business Analytics; Computer Science; Public Policy Center (Archive); Center for Social Science Innovation
Record Identifier: 9984216744702771

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