Tanner & Gillardin (2025) — Toxic Communication on TikTok: Sigma Masculinities and Gendered Disinformation
Tanner, S. & Gillardin, F. (2025). Toxic Communication on TikTok: Sigma Masculinities and Gendered Disinformation. Social Media + Society, 11(1). https://doi.org/10.1177/20563051251313844
What this source contributes
Peer-reviewed research on sigma male specifically, rather than on the manosphere in general. The authors analysed 195 TikTok videos drawn from a sample of 960, collected through the hashtags sigma, sigmamale and sigmamalegrindset, and identify four communication categories in which sigma content appears: indifference, rejection, humiliation, and hatred toward women and non-binary people.
They place sigma content within the frames of gendered disinformation and digital criminology, describing it as a “ready-to-think” package that offers men a prefabricated answer to a perceived crisis of masculinity.
Analytical function in Sigma Male
The direct and only object of analysis, which makes it a closer match for the entry than general manosphere literature. The four-category breakdown gives the entry its empirical spine, and the “ready-to-think” framing explains the appeal without treating its audience as simply gullible.
About the authors
Samuel Tanner is a professor at the École de criminologie, Université de Montréal. His research covers disinformation, online radicalisation, and the impact of technology on security.
François Gillardin is a doctoral researcher in criminology at the same institution. His research covers disinformation, propaganda and hate speech.
Related entries
- Sigma Male — the direct and sole object of analysis
- Alpha Male — sigma is positioned as an alternative to, and above, alpha
- Manosphere — places sigma content in the wider online masculinity culture