Mapping the manosphere: thematic diffusion and influence across Reddit's gender-focused communities

Key Points

• The aim is to explore how themes from the manosphere spread into different Reddit communities and influence discussions.
• Analyzed four Reddit communities spanning the ideological spectrum.
• Utilized LDA topic modeling to identify themes within posts.
• Employed graph analysis to map connections and influences between communities.
• Identified the introduction of masculinist topics into more progressive subreddits.
• Demonstrated that these topics become integrated and accepted within neutral or progressive spaces.
• Highlighted the role of hybrid users in facilitating this thematic diffusion.