Make Men Great Again. L’ascesa dei manfluencer

Abstract

This study aims to explore the role of influencer activists as ideological mediators between the private and public spheres. The focus will be on influ-activists from the manosphere, referred to as manfluencers who amplify the ideologies typically associated with these online communities through their content. These popular figures utilize videos and podcasts to provide advice to thousands of men and boys on a variety of topics, including interpersonal relationships, mental health, physical well-being, and strategies for achieving material and social success. Despite the diversity of subjects they cover, a consistent theme across their content is the promotion of a successful model of masculinity, primarily characterized by financial success and control over women. By positioning themselves as authentic life coaches, these influencers foster the perception that personal development and social or political engagement are intricately linked, that self-improvement is congruent with a broader need for metapolitical acknowledgment. This work will show how manfluencers are not only turning the more backward ideologies of the manosphere into popular entertainment, effectively making misogyny a viable business model, but they are also shaping public discourse and political dynamics in ways that bolster conservative and profoundly reactionary ideologies.