Netlfix's Adolescence and Toxic Masculinity

Netflix's Adolescence opens with a bang - literally. A 13-year-old boy named Jamie Miller (Owen Cooper) finds his seemingly ordinary life torn apart when an armed police team storms his house and arrests him on suspicion of murder. What follows is an unnerving deep dive into the online world of toxic masculinity, incel culture, and the menacing influence of digital ideologues, most notably Andrew Tate. The four-part series, a collaboration between Stephen Graham and Jack Thorne, doesn't just tell the story of a boy accused of murder it reveals how a generation of young men is being shaped by the virulent ideas of online misogynists.

- BY RIHAAB MOWLANA

While Adolescence focuses on the radicalization of Jamie, it holds up a mirror to a society grappling with the impact of digital subcultures like the "manosphere." It's a space where young boys, seeking meaning, fall prey to ideologies that feed their anger, entitlement, and ultimately, violence. Set against the backdrop of a typical English town, Jamie's story becomes a chilling reflection of how dangerously disconnected teenagers are from the real world and how the internet has become their incubator for rage.

The Rise of the Manosphere: Where Misogyny Meets Radicalization

In Adolescence, the show explores the influence of the so-called “manosphere,” an online ecosystem where toxic masculinity is cultivated and disseminated. This space is home to men who see themselves as victims of society’s evolving expectations, particularly in relation to women. It's here that incel culture thrives a community of men who blame women for their loneliness and social failures. They espouse the belief that only a small percentage of men (the “alpha males”) are worthy of women’s attention, while the rest are relegated to the margins. These beliefs are presented as hard truths, offering solace and a distorted sense of belonging to impressionable young men.

In the show, Jamie's descent into this world is marked by his consumption of “red pill” content a philosophy that encourages men to embrace a cold, transactional view of relationships. But Jamie's radicalization isn't abstract. It's personalized. It's the kind of ideology that, on the surface, appears to make sense to a vulnerable, isolated teen trying to make sense of his own lack of success with women. By joining these online spaces, Jamie isn’t just discovering “truths” - he’s being groomed for violence.

Andrew Tate: The Face of a New Kind of Misogyny