Simon James Copland is an academic and researcher whose work focuses on understanding the online manosphere, anti-feminism, and digital misogyny. In his book, The Male Complaint: The Manosphere and Misogyny Online (published by Polity in 2025), he analyzes the rapid growth of these subcultures and explores why they appeal to a growing cohort of men.

Copland, an Honorary Fellow at the Australian National University, provides a distinct framework for understanding these communities by moving past superficial explanations

In this workshop he will argue that the manosphere is not an isolated or random internet phenomenon. Instead, it is deeply embedded within mainstream, neoliberal social structures. Economic precarity and shifting societal expectations leave many men feeling alienated, and the manosphere capitalizes on these mainstream anxieties. 

For alienated men, these forums offer a powerful space of understanding, connection, and purpose. By offering an explanation for their struggles (even a deeply flawed, anti-feminist one), these spaces successfully recruit and radicalize followers.