Toxic masculinity and the “manosphere” with Dr Shannon Zimmerman

Netflix's new show Adolescence has sparked a lot of recent conversation and online discussions because it explores teenage masculinity in raw, sometimes unsettling ways, touching on themes like male insecurity, toxic masculinity, peer pressure, and toxic online influences that mirror real-life dynamics within the Manosphere. From a countering violent extremism lens, it raises the question of definitions and the delicate tipping point between violent misogyny and incel ideology and the evolution from online grievance spaces into real life threats. In this episode we chat with Dar Shannon Zimmerman, to help navigate the complexities. Shannon is a lecturer in strategic studies at Deakin University in the Center for Future Defense and National Security. Her research investigates misogyny-motivated terrorism, looking at online radicalisation and the groups in the Manosphere. She's currently working on a book exploring the involuntary celibates, or incels, as a new political movement.