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MISOGYNY AND GENDER DISINFORMATION IN THE BRAZILIAN RED PILL COMMUNITY

Abstract

The expansion of digital communities associated with the manosphere has intensified the circulation of misogynistic, pseudoscientific, and antifeminist discourses on digital platforms, which have influenced attacks against women and historically marginalized groups. In this context, this study aims to analyze the strategies of production and circulation of gender disinformation within the Brazilian Red Pill movement, focusing on its discursive tactics, mechanisms of propagation, and intersectional impacts on Black women, women from peripheral communities, and LGBTQIAPN+ individuals. The research adopted a qualitative approach of an exploratory and descriptive nature, grounded in Critical Discourse Analysis. A bibliographic survey, documentary analysis, and non-participant ethnographic observation in digital environments were conducted, resulting in the constitution of a corpus composed of videos, live streams, social media posts, and specialized reports produced between 2023 and 2026. The results allowed for the identification of four central axes: the construction of victimized masculinity; the delegitimization of feminism and of knowledge produced by women; the elaboration of normative categories of femininity performance; and the algorithmic amplification of misogynistic content. The recurrent use of pseudoscientific arguments, hate narratives, and monetization strategies that reinforce gender inequalities, informational injustices, and epistemic injustices were observed. This research concluded that the Brazilian Red Pill sphere operates as a network for the production and circulation of gender disinformation, contributing to the normalization of misogyny, the weakening of the credibility of knowledge produced by women, and the reproduction of differentiated forms of symbolic, material, and social violence.