Theses and Dissertations

Date of Award

2024

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education and School of Criminal Justice

Advisor

Vanessa Patino Lydia

Committee Member

Brooke Elvington

Committee Member

Marcelo Castro

Committee Member

Brooke Elvington

Keywords

Black Manosphere, Black women, digital hostility, misogynoir, thematic analysis, Twitter

Abstract

The Manosphere is a collective of powerfully influential men who create and control harmful narratives about women online. Individuals within the Manosphere are disseminating their beliefs and garnering support through various online platforms, including social media. This research study sheds light on the Black Manosphere, a group within the Manosphere that has gone under the radar, despite the detrimental and toxic content they publish online about Black women. This qualitative research study examined the hostile rhetoric published by the Black Manosphere on Twitter (now X) about Black women. The research questions guiding this qualitative examination were: (1) What types and volume of misogynistic content against Black women are produced by the Black Manosphere on Twitter? (2) What is the shared rhetoric regarding the hostility towards Black women propagated by the Black Manosphere on Twitter? Thematic analysis and content analysis were used to examine 352 tweets produced by the Black Manosphere about Black women over a 3 year period.

Six overarching themes emerged from the Black Manosphere’s rhetoric: condoning violence, belittling, contempt for Black women, Black women working against Black men, patriarchal rhetoric, and perceived judicial bias. The Black Manosphere’s rhetoric exhibited layers of intersectionality and misogynoir, displaying targeted hatred and contempt towards Black women. The data analysis revealed a key persuasive tactic used to spread their hostile beliefs about Black women—flipping the narrative. This tactic was used to center Black men as victims of adverse treatment from Black women and systems of power. This study serves as an integral piece in addressing the lack of empirical studies examining the Black Manosphere to prevent violence against Black women.

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