Alt-resilience: a semantic network analysis of identity (re)construction in an online men’s rights community

ABSTRACT

Online communities can provide social support that plays a critical role in identity reconstruction. Given a changing gendered landscape in which men's identity constructions and configurations of masculinity are disrupted and challenged, some men have begun organizing online using platforms like Reddit to support and provide strategies for reasserting and reconstructing traditional forms of masculinity. Although these spaces are becoming increasingly popular, scholarship is nascent in deeply understanding how these spaces influence identity reconstruction. This paper argues that resilience processes may be a key logic in explaining how men's identity constructions occur and why men's rights communities are flourishing online. Through text mining and semantic network analysis of 35,643 comments, identity constructions vis–à–vis resilience processes were found to be fostered through contradictory logics surrounding sexual activity. These findings contribute to an alternative form of communicative resilience and provide a possible explanation and understanding of how men's rights communities persist online.

KEYWORDS:

• Communication theory of resilience
• men’s rights communities
• online spaces
• identity
• semantic network analysis

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

1 A reference for revealing the ‘dark truth’ about society originating in the popular movie, The Matrix.

2 Whereas identity is used to define an enduring, and consistent state for both individuals and collectivities, identification occurs as individuals cultivate oneness, belonging, and affiliation to their larger collectivities, thus fostering identity (He & Brown, 2013).

3 According to Massanari (2015), ‘voting is intended to show others what material deserves more (or less) attention from the community’ (p. 3).

4 Data were collected throughout October and November 2017. The total number of comments may have increased, or posts may no longer be available on r/TheRedPill.

5 Although there are important considerations regarding class, ethnicity, and sexual orientation that impacts masculinity, Kimmel (2013) argues that the uniting animus for men’s groups is men’s feeling of grief and loss regarding traditional masculine ideals (p. 13).

6 Throughout r/TheRedPill, value is often couched within one’s sexual market value, or ‘a shorthand statement for ‘what you bring to the table,’ whether for a one-night stand or for a longer sexual/emotional relationship’ (Updated Glossary of Terms and Acronyms, 2015).

7 According to The Red Pill Handbook, ‘Alpha Fucks, Beta Bucks’ refers to the ‘idea that alpha males succeed in the sexual marketplaces, while betas are relegated to a sexless provider role. May also be referred to as “fux” and “bux”’ (p. 406).