Alpha Males and Youtube
Answer
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
What is an “Alpha Male”?
The title “alpha male” was initially coined to describe a wolf pack leader, typically a male wolf, who leads the pack, shows immense strength, protective, but also compassionate as they work with the pack to survive together. In the present day, the title has been taken by a community of people who only want to see themselves as powerful, masculine, physically strong, and on the top of the food chain. Since the introduction of Youtube, influencer alpha males have been on a slow but gradual rise as they become more and more popular, for better or for worse. Examples of infamous self-claimed or claimed alpha males in the digital space include Andrew Tate and Joe Rogan. What makes them different from traditional “alpha males” is their influence through social media platforms such as TikTok, Youtube, Twitter, and classic platforms such as Reddit or 4Chan.
What is the difference between an incel and an alpha male?
In the book “Men Who Hate Women”, author Laura Bates guides readers into how the start-up of the “Incel” community became what it is today. The term “Incel” is a shorthand for “involuntary celibate” and created by a Canadian woman named Alana who had experienced difficulties with dating and relationships; thus, the creation of an online community for men and women experiencing loneliness. However, this took a turn as more and more men flooded the site blaming others over their sexual frustration. In today’s world, an “incel” can be associated and defined as a man or a boy who is violently misogynistic, has low self-esteem, and can’t seem to get the girl.
A movie that is widely referenced in both communities is “The Matrix”, and specifically the scene with two pills. Blue pill vs red pill, take the blue and you can stay in the matrix or take the red and you can see the truth. In online spaces, being “red pilled” essentially means that someone (typically a man) has consumed content that generates misogynistic behavior leading to toxic masculinity. However, within the “manosphere”, which is an online space where extreme cases of misogyny but also racism and homophobia can flourish, there is another pill. The “black pill” is what incels claim to consume to identify as incels.
On the other hand, an alpha male claims to be confident with his abilities, he believes he is above others, he believes that women must remain in the kitchen and must cater to his wants, needs, and desires at all times. An alpha male believes that he can get anything he wants, no matter the consequences. An incel, on the other hand, believes that he is too ugly, that the women he is interested in are only after “thugs” and other people who aren’t “nice guys”. Both incels and alpha males believe that they are entitled to a woman’s sex, and refusal to have sex is no fault but the woman. Both groups also believe that anything that happens to a woman whether that may be sexual assault or physical assault, is also no one’s fault but the woman. Both alphas and incels share similar beliefs as they actually share a space in online communities, most infamously the “Manosphere”.
What is the “Manosphere”?
There must be a place where communities like incels and alpha males can feel safe voicing out their opinions. Enter the Manosphere, a space online where a multitude of different but related men’s groups can come together in places such as Reddit, 4chan, 8chan, or other blogs and websites. Groups such as involuntary-celibates, alpha males, men’s rights activists, pick-up artists, white supremacists, to even smaller and niche but extreme groups such as rapecels. Topics that are discussed in this space can go from fashion tips, to feelings of loneliness, to work-out routines, can quickly go downhill as they spiral into other conversations and forums such as rape fantasies to encouraging other users to commit suicide. Many men unknowingly enter these spaces to seek the answer to their loneliness, with questions “why was I fired?”, “why did she leave me?”, “how can I become more attractive?” running through their minds. Whilst looking for support from other men in online spaces, they may find themselves down a rabbit-hole that encourages these vulnerable users into adopting very harmful and sometimes even violent beliefs.
Video Link:
Alpha Males Youtube Rabbit Hole Notes, Outline, and Video Transcript: https://saclis.libanswers.com/loader?fid=22077&type=1&key=e511a9218f45301fe62b10cfb697aa65
Sources :
Thomas, Elise, and Kata Balint. “Algorithms as a Weapon against Women: How YouTube Lures Boys and Young Men into the “Manosphere.”” ISD, 27 Apr. 2022, www.isdglobal.org/isd-publications/algorithms-as-a-weapon-against-women-how-youtube-lures-boys-and-young-men-into-the-manosphere/.
Ging, Debbie. “Alphas, Betas, and Incels: Theorizing the Masculinities of the Manosphere.” Men and Masculinities, vol. 22, no. 4, 10 May 2019, pp. 638–657
“Alphas and Incels: Misogyny Two Ways.” Www.wupr.org, www.wupr.org/2022/11/11/accountability-and-legitimacy-why-justice-alitos-take-on-his-courts-unquestionable-legitimacy-is-ill-conceived/.
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Artsy, Avishay. “How Andrew Tate Sells Men on Toxic Masculinity.” Vox, Vox Media, 10 Jan. 2023, www.vox.com/culture/2023/1/10/23547393/andrew-tate-toxic-masculinity-qa.
Lawson, Robert. Language and Mediated Masculinities. Oxford University Press, 2023.
Bates, Laura. Men Who Hate Women: From Incels to Pickup Artists: The Truth about Extreme Misogyny and How It Affects Us All. Naperville, Illinois, Sourcebooks, 2020.
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Big Think. “The “Alpha Male” Myth, Debunked | Frans de Waal.” YouTube, 21 June 2023, www.youtube.com/watch?v=inx2dMobzYs. Accessed 14 Oct. 2023
“The Manosphere to Alt-Right Pipeline (We Should All Be Talking about This).” Www.youtube.com, www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-V_xf2gAiI.
Jones, Naomi, "The Prevalence of Anti-Feminist Content on TikTok and YouTube Shorts" (2024). Student Research Submissions. 570. https://scholar.umw.edu/student_research/570.
Usher, Tom. “The Strange Allure of Extreme Alpha Male Influencers.” VICE, 17 Aug. 2022, www.vice.com/en/article/the-strange-allure-of-extreme-alpha-male-influencers/.
Nikos, Karen Michele. “YouTube Video Recommendations Lead to More Extremist Content for Right-Leaning Users, Researchers Suggest.” UC Davis, 13 Dec. 2023, www.ucdavis.edu/curiosity/news/youtube-video-recommendations-lead-more-extremist-content-right-leaning-users-researchers.
Image sources:
Wikipedia Contributors. “Patrick Bateman.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 5 May 2019, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patrick_Bateman.
Will, Madeline. “Misogynist Influencer Andrew Tate Has Captured Boys’ Attention. What Teachers Need to Know.” Education Week, 2 Feb. 2023, www.edweek.org/leadership/misogynist-influencer-andrew-tate-has-captured-boys-attention-what-teachers-need-to-know/2023/02.
Taylor, Alex. “The Matrix’s Real-World Legacy - from Red Pill Incels to Conspiracies and Deepfakes.” BBC News, 21 Dec. 2021, www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-57572152.
published, Joseph Foley. “The YouTube Logo: A History.” Creative Bloq, 27 June 2022, www.creativebloq.com/news/youtube-logo-history.