The manifestation of toxic masculinity in an anonymous Brazilian internet forum

Abstract

This study addresses the manifestation of toxic masculinity on 55chan, an anonymous Brazilian internet forum. Events such as the Gamergate and the Suzano’s Massacre, which were partially organized within anonymous forums, demonstrate how interactions in these spaces can result in large-scale problems. Evidence like this indicates the pertinence of exploring imageboards as platforms that shape hate speeches, as well as the subcultures that form around them. Faced with this, the research question is: how does toxic masculinity manifest in 55chan? The aim of this study is to characterize the toxic masculinity in 55chan. The methodological procedure used was an ethnographic-inspired observation of 16 thousand posts from the aforementioned Brazilian anonymous forum, which were collected through an automated search that happened between December 2016 and January 2017. The results show that 55chan participants: 1) feel oppressed by stereotype of the “alpha” male, by women and society; 2) they consider themselves as a “failure”, although they make use of strategies to change this condition (nofap/noporn/exercises); 3) objectify women and consider them perverse (‘bitches”, “shits”) and irrational. It is concluded that the manifestation of toxic masculinity in 55chan takes on specific contours due to anonymity, the ephemeral nature of the discussion threads and the use of filters.