The conversation about the manosphere has been given fresh legs by Louis Theroux\u2019s recent Netflix<\/a> documentary, titled Louis Theroux: Inside the Manosphere<\/a>.<\/p>\n But anyone shocked or appalled by what they saw in Theroux\u2019s programme should not take too much solace from Ging\u2019s contention that Ireland has remained an outlier. <\/p>\n \u201cThe research I have done indicates that most manosphere content that Irish boys and men engage with comes from the US and the UK,\u201d she says. <\/p>\n \u201cWhen we collected this data in 2023, it was all US or UK content.\u201d<\/p>\n Theroux studied the male influencers who encourage young men and teenagers to embrace what they describe as \u201ctraditional masculinity\u201d, which generally translates into promoting male dominance over women. The manosphere refers to the wider network of websites, forums and influencers that push this doctrine.<\/p>\n The programme has proven shocking to the many people who were still unaware of what goes on within this group \u2013 a loose coalition of social media figures who (mostly) rave about big muscles, having lots of money and bedding as many women as possible. <\/p>\n [\u00a0Louis Theroux\u2019s exploration into the manosphere chills the bloodOpens in new window<\/a>\u00a0]<\/p>\n Their (online world) view of the real world is one in which men have been demeaned and subjugated by women and the economic system \u2013 and they believe that they hold the answers. <\/p>\n Many of these figures have made fortunes from their online profiles \u2013 and wear this wealth on their sleeves. They encourage their followers to shun \u201cBetas\u201d, in other words, men who they deem as being subordinate to women \u2013 and instead to aspire to \u201cAlpha Male\u201d status \u2013 dominant, assertive and sexually successful. <\/p>\n Until recently, places such as Dubai in the United Arab Emirates were held up as the aspirational locations of choice for wannabe Alphas. Their wealth comes from their followers, who are encouraged to invest in what are, in many instances, essentially get-rich-quick schemes. <\/p>\n But it is not just about money and lifestyle. In addition to demeaning narratives about women, racist and homophobic sentiments are also commonplace across the domain. <\/p>\n Theroux confronts Harrison Sullivan \u2013 aka HSTikkyTokky \u2013 about his homophobic and anti-Semitic rants. Sullivan contends he is just \u201cclip farming\u201d: making outrageous statements to draw eyeballs.<\/p>\n Irish youngsters have been digesting this type of content on social media for years, but the vast majority of it originates from abroad. <\/p>\n It taps into existing grievances that many younger males have about their place in society and \u2013 in some cases \u2013 suggests that feminists, immigrants and other minority groups are to blame.<\/p>\n [\u00a0Louis Theroux \u2013 Inside the Manosphere: A tentative dip into the world of toxic masculinityOpens in new window<\/a>\u00a0]<\/p>\n So where are all the Irish manosphere influencers trailing in the wake of the individuals Theroux has profiled? <\/p>\n Despite the apparent preponderance of these types of influencers, Ireland appears to have curiously few of them.<\/p>\n According to researcher Darragh McCashin, an assistant professor in psychology at Dublin City University, Irish content tends to be less obvious. <\/p>\n Instead, he has identified overlaps between the manosphere inhabited by the likes of the Tate brothers \u2013 and that of fitness influencers and \u201cself-help motivational gurus\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cIn fairness to Louis Theroux, he said at the outset he would be dealing with the most extreme end of the scale,\u201d says McCashin.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are no figures here on the same scales as the Tates.\u201d <\/p>\n British-American influencers Andrew and Tristan Tate are, for many, the household names of the manosphere and their online personas are typical of the genre. <\/p>\n In the UK, the brothers face 21 criminal charges, including rape, actual bodily harm and human trafficking \u2013 and an extradition warrant is outstanding against them. They also face similar charges in Romania, all of which they deny.<\/p>\n McCashin says various Irish online communities here are instead \u201cborrowing the template\u201d of the manosphere, even if the content is not explicitly misogynistic.<\/p>\n \u201cSometimes they pull on the same strings,\u201d he says. <\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019ll see a self-help guru curate a video and it will have a click-baity quality to it, almost like a Joe Rogan podcast video,\u201d he adds, referring to America\u2019s biggest podcast host.<\/p>\n \u201cThey can see that that kind of thing works.\u201d<\/p>\n This makes identifying questionable content all the more difficult. On the face of it, what at first can appear to be a straightforward fitness influencer on closer inspection can turn out to have a wider agenda.<\/p>\n Likewise, says McCashin, \u201cwell-intentioned\u201d content creators in a similar space run the risk of getting lumped in with the \u201cAlpha Males\u201d and their familiar narratives. <\/p>\n Ging, along with McCashin, was involved in a major study by DCU\u2019s anti-bullying centre in 2024 that examined the impact of \u201cmasculinity influencers\u201d.<\/p>\n Her research demonstrates how young males are essentially filtered towards \u201ctoxic\u201d content by social media algorithms.<\/p>\n Ging set up 10 fake 16- and 18-year-old male accounts on video sharing websites YouTube and TikTok to explore how the social media platforms directed and funnelled material to young men and teenagers.<\/p>\n Seeking out dating advice, the fake accounts were at first fed what seemed simple coaching videos on how to talk to women. <\/p>\n But even at this stage, says Ging, these accounts would be telling them that men were different from women because \u201cthey were logical\u201d and that if you don\u2019t make a woman feel inferior, she won\u2019t believe she\u2019s \u201cdating up\u201d. <\/p>\n![\"(L](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/M7GG7K3O2RBKDO6SKISBL6GMYA.jpg\")
Louis Theroux confronts Harrison Sullivan \u2013 aka HSTikkyTokky \u2013 about his homophobic and anti-Semitic rants. Sullivan contends he is just ‘clip farming’. Photograph: Netflix <\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/7D7HUO7RPABJTKAHCBVZQ7VBIY.jpg\")
The programme has proven shocking to the many people who still are unaware of what goes on within this group. Photograph: PA\/ Netflix <\/p>\n
![\"Louis](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/PEB4DS2IK5CGPJEXNYOC24JAAA.jpg\")
Louis Theroux studied the male influencers who encourage young men and teenagers to embrace what they describe as ‘traditional masculinity’. Photograph: Netflix <\/p>\n