Jornal O Globo - December 15, 2024
Report by NetLab-UFRJ for the Ministry of Women shows that videos reach billions of views with discourses of aversion, contempt and control of women
A unique study by the Observatory of the Industry of Disinformation and Gender Violence on Digital Platforms, an initiative by NetLab-UFRJ in partnership with the Ministry of Women, exposes how Brazilian influencers transform hate speech against women into a profitable business on YouTube. The report, entitled “Learn to avoid ‘this type’ of woman: discursive strategies and monetization of misogyny on YouTube”, analyzed 76,289 videos from 7,812 channels, which together total more than 4.1 billion views and 23 million comments.
The research identified a digital network known as the “machosphere”, composed of influencers and online communities that propagate masculinist ideals and misogynistic discourses. These videos, often disguised as “male personal development,” promote contempt, hatred, and dehumanization of women. The study characterized these discourses as strategies to reaffirm a supposed male superiority and justify control over women.
Among the recurring themes, the videos address issues such as aversion to feminists, single mothers, and women over 30, often described as “emotional parasites” or “opportunists.” These videos use their own vocabulary, full of offensive terms and dehumanizing metaphors, which facilitate the formation of communities of mutual support and the dissemination of retrograde values.