#MeToo in the Manosphere: The Formation of a Counter Discourse on the Swedish Online Forum Flashback

In Sweden, a relative consensus of liberal and feminist values has long been dominant in public discourse. This could be observed in coverage of the #MeToo movement, which was largely presented in a positive light by legacy media, where critical voices were instead found on alternative and social media. This article contributes to a more nuanced understanding of the impact of #MeToo beyond the mainstream discourse by investigating how #MeToo was discussed on the online forum Flashback during the period spanning October-December 2017. Our findings show how the #MeToo debate in this forum reproduced an anti-feminist discourse from the manosphere but also challenged it, as attitudes towards sexual harassment were negotiated and reframed in dialogue with mainstream media. #MeToo thus also contributed to an increased awareness about sexual harassment in this context. However, while a feminist agenda was being strengthened in legacy media, the anti-feminist views on Flashback became more pronounced. Interestingly, while the dominant feminist discourse around Swedish #MeToo avoided the concept "feminism", it was often used in this counter discourse on Flashback, where it signified a hated, albeit powerful and transformative, force in society.

Sveningsson, Malin,1968Gothenburg University,Göteborgs universitet,Institutionen för journalistik, medier och kommunikation (JMG),Department of Journalism, Media and Communication (JMG),University of Gothenburg, Sweden(Swepub:gu)xsvemz (author)
Ganetz, Hillevi,1956-Stockholms universitet,Institutionen för etnologi, religionshistoria och genusvetenskap,Stockholm University, Sweden(Swepub:su)higa4829 (author)
Södertörns högskolaMedieteknik (creator_code:org_t)

In:NORA-NORDIC JOURNAL OF FEMINIST AND GENDER RESEARCH: Taylor & Francis0803-87401502-394X

By the author/editor: Hansson, Karin, ...; Sveningsson, Mal ...; Ganetz, Hillevi, ...

About the subject

SOCIAL SCIENCES: SOCIAL SCIENCES; and Other Social Sci ...; and Gender Studies

By the university: University of Gothenburg; Stockholm University; Södertörn University

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