Online/Virtual Event

Tuesday, October 29th 2024 from 1:00pm to 2:00pm

See a recording of this webinar here.

Understanding the "manosphere" -- a discursive online space occupied by a loose confederacy of interest groups encompassing a wide range of ideologies and beliefs centered on reinforcing patriarchy -- is important for information professionals for many reasons. First, many manosphere sites act as echo chambers which significantly contribute to the spread of misinformation and hate speech. Narratives on the manosphere tend to reinforce rigid gender binaries and hierarchies. These narratives negate the humanity of women and LGBTQ+ individuals, fueling the biased logic underlying discriminatory policies such as banning books in public libraries that contain LGBTQ+ content. Being aware of manosphere ideologies and their online presence is also crucial for academic librarians as they attempt to educate students on recognizing and critically evaluating sources of misinformation. Information professionals need to understand what the manosphere is, how it operates, how it impacts our patron’s lives, and how to effectively counteract the misogynistic, racist, and anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric it perpetuates.

Following this webinar, viewers will be able to:

• Define the origin of manosphere and the spectrum of ideologies that it encompasses (including misogynist incels, Men’s Rights Activists, Pick Up Artists, and Men Going Their Own Way/MGTOW)
• Recognize key manosphere sites and understand how they contribute to the spread of misogynistic, homophobic, transphobic, and racist, misinformation
• Identify key resources and tools for effectively combating manosphere rhetoric and misinformation

About our presenter:

Robin O’Hanlon (she/her) currently serves as the Associate Librarian for User Services at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City. She is a doctoral student in criminal justice at the City University of New York Graduate Center. Her research interests include male supremacist violence, criminalization of abortion and pregnancy, and crimes of power. Robin is also a mentee at the [Institute for Research on Male Supremacism IRMS, an intersectional feminist organization that brings together experts from inside and outside of academia to analyze and expose the dangers of misogynist ideology and mobilization. Her research on misogynistic extremism has appeared in Trauma, Violence, & Abuse.