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Paper short abstract

This study analyzes Spain’s Red Pill Podcast on TikTok, focusing on manfluencer Jota Vallenilla. It shows how viral content reproduces hegemonic masculinity and discredits feminism through gendertrolling, while also highlighting the active participation of both antifeminist and feminist women.

Paper long abstract

This study examines the narratives emerging from the Red Pill Podcast on TikTok, a manosphere space where antifeminist discourses are reproduced in short and highly viral formats. Through digital ethnography and a dual analysis—of content and discourse—of the twenty most popular videos, it explores how hegemonic masculinity is represented and feminist perspectives are discredited. The results reveal a communicative structure centered on the manfluencer Jota Vallenilla, who constructs a narrative based on male victimization, the ridiculization of feminism, and the systematic use of gendertrolling. The study argues that the podcast functions as a mechanism of control and a patriarchal pedagogy, reproducing gender hierarchies and organizing its discourse around three thematic axes: romantic relationships, masculinity, and feminism. Additionally, the case study raises questions about whether the manosphere is ceasing to be a space exclusively dominated by men, as women—both antifeminist and feminist—actively participate, sharing protagonism and influencing discourse. Overall, the paper offers a critical perspective on the expansion of the manosphere in Spain and its adaptation to new digital media, highlighting, for example, feminist women’s participation, which raises the question of whether their involvement effectively challenges these spaces or inadvertently amplifies their antifeminist messages.