With awards season approaching, Netflix’s limited series “Adolescence” has gained significant traction from both the public and acclaimed critics, having already had immense success and historical wins at the Emmys last month. Much of the show’s attention surrounds its subject matter, tackling rising issues such as toxic masculinity and the online radicalization of young men, both of which have been plaguing the internet in recent years. The resurgence of these topics via the show has sparked discussions among netizens and students alike, and provided a stark reflection of how social media continuously impacts our generation.
“Adolescence” premiered on Netflix on March 13 this year. The show follows 13-year-old Jamie Miller (Owen Cooper) and his family as he is arrested for the murder of a female classmate. The four-episode series explores these themes of toxic masculinity and the influence of social media through the main character, Jamie.
Although I am a Netflix subscriber, I first heard about the show on social media through short clips of the infamous psychiatrist scene that appeared on my “For You” page. It is evident that much of the buzz for “Adolescence” is generated through social media, with cinephiles praising its long 'one-shot’ episodes, as well as clips and people’s reactions gaining millions of likes and views on various platforms. Jamie’s characters and his actions dominate many of the engagements, with people dissecting his behavior, actions and psychology.
“Adolescence” isn’t a whodunnit. In fact, it tells you exactly what happened and reveals Jamie’s guilt in episode one. Show creator Stephen Graham, who also stars as Jamie’s father, deliberately made this choice to emphasize the prominence of online extremism among young boys and its impact on ordinary families. In fact, the show explicitly mentions the “manosphere” — an umbrella term for a loose network that shares and promotes misogynistic and conspiratorial beliefs about gender roles. It even name-drops Andrew Tate, who is often cited as a prominent figure and “gateway” to the manosphere for young men. Furthermore, “Adolescence” credits this online extremism as the primary influence for Jamie’s behavior and eventual crime.
The initial inspiration for “Adolescence” was the rise in male violence towards women in the UK; it was only after research that the writers and co-creators stumbled upon the “manosphere”. The series references the terms the community utilizes, such as the “80/20 rule” (the pseudoscientific theory that 80% of women are only attracted to the top 20% of men) or “Red Pill” (a reference to the movie “The Matrix,” used to indicate waking up to a reality that the world favors women over men). According to the Movember Foundation, a global men’s health non-profit, 63% of young men engage with masculinity influencers online, and 43% find them motivating, highlighting the prominence and influence of the “manosphere.” Experts also find that the regular use of extreme language in these online communities not only normalizes violence against women, but has growing links to radicalization and online extremism.
Furthermore, research conducted by Ipsos UK and King’s College London reveals that while younger generations are often seen as more supportive of efforts to boost gender equality, in reality, the views of Generation Z men and women frequently diverge. According to the study, 60% of Gen Z men agree that men are expected to do too much to support equality, whereas only 38% of Gen Z women share the same sentiment. The study also found that 57% of Gen Z men say that we have gone so far in promoting women’s equality that we are discriminating against men, compared with around a third of Gen Z women who agree. This phenomenon coincides with a political divergence between men and women amongst the youth, as another study by The Economist finds that young men tend to identify more conservatively than women in terms of their political views. Of course, the issue of increasing political polarization of society is not unique to Gen Z, but what is significant is the gender divide in this polarization and the shift towards antiquated ideas about gender roles.
The conversations fostered by “Adolescence” shed light on the underlying issues of violence towards women, the vulnerability of young men and the influence of online extremism. The rise of incels has been a topic of popular discourse online for several years. However, the show serves as a gateway for these conversations to take place beyond the internet, raising much-needed awareness among parents and even older generations — even my chronically offline parents became aware of “Adolescence” and the issues it raises. Topics like these need to extend beyond online forums to raise broader awareness of these issues and serve as a wake-up call for real solutions, such as legislative interventions regarding social media, particularly given the increasing number of children using these platforms.
