Does Exposure to 'Manosphere' Content Reduce Bystander Intervention Intentions in Sexual Violence Cases?
- 2 days ago
- 1 min read
By Lauren Kennedy,
London Metropolitan University.
This study examined whether exposure to manosphere, neutral or feminist media content influenced bystander efficacy, intervention intentions and rape myth acceptance. Sixty participants were allocated to one of three conditions (n = 20 per group) and completed self-report measures assessing general bystander confidence (Bystander Efficacy Scale; BES), likelihood of intervening in a risky vignette scenario (VIG), and rape myth acceptance (Illinois Rape Myth Acceptance Scale; IRMA). One-way between-subjects analyses were conducted to examine differences between conditions across the three outcome variables. Significant effects of condition were found for all outcome variables. For bystander efficacy, participants in the manosphere condition reported higher confidence to intervene than those in the neutral and feminist conditions. For intervention intentions, participants in the feminist condition reported significantly greater willingness to intervene than those in the manosphere condition. For rape myth acceptance, participants in the manosphere condition reported the highest endorsement, followed by the neutral condition, while the feminist condition reported the lowest, with significant differences between all three conditions. Overall, feminist exposure was associated with the most prosocial pattern of responses, characterised by lower rape myth acceptance and higher intervention intentions, whereas manosphere exposure was associated with more harmful attitudes and lower scenario-based willingness to help. Findings suggest that brief ideological media exposure may shape beliefs and intended behaviours relating to sexual violence. The study highlights the potential risks of online misogynistic content and the value of counter-narratives promoting gender equality and bystander action.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.22128913