BBC Eye has just released a documentary that investigates the global expansion of the manosphere and the social media algorithms driving young men towards increasingly extreme views on gender, relationships and masculinity.
Reporter Jacqui Wakefield spent a year examining the rise of two of the most influential manosphere figures in Latin American and Africa – El Temach (real name Luis Castilleja) in Mexico and, Andrew Kibe (widely referred to as Kibe) in Kenya who have millions of followers – and speaking to women living with the real-life consequences of their influence to make the 54-minute Manosphere Messiahs that premiered on YouTube onThursday, May 28.
Vlogger and ex-radio presenter Andrew Kibe. Photo | Pool
This BBC World Service investigation comes as international debate continues over online safety and the influence of social media algorithms. Kibe’s takes have been so volatile that his main YouTube accounts were terminated in 2003 “due to violations of YouTube's Terms of Service.”
In the documentary, the reporter and her team followed Kibe on his book tour in Bondo, at a club appearance, and at Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University of Science and Technology (JOOUST). What might catch the viewer’s attention is the prominence of Wakadinali rapper Scar during the tour.
The rapper performs at the club engagement and, at some point in an interview, even seems to speak on behalf of Kibe, which Kibe later disowns as his input seems to be going off the rails.
In the documentary, Kibe doesn’t really say much. He digs in, sometimes is evasive, and when the reporter seems to press him on comments he has made, he refuses to continue the interview.
Viraah, a student at JOOUST, told the BBC that she had observed changes in her male classmates who were engaging with Kibe’s content.
"I totally disagree with Kibe's influence or content because it's not encouraging at all. I have one of my classmates – he has been influenced by Kibe's content. I feel like he has some hatred; he can't associate with the other gender. He has bought Kibe's books. Wherever you find him, he is carrying a laptop and that book."
Dr Awino Okech, a gender, sexuality and security studies expert, told the BBC what makes influencers like Kibe particularly effective in the Kenyan context: "He has found the ability – both by using local narratives and understanding of the national and local context – to feed into ongoing insecurities in society."
In Mexico, El Temach – who has a combined following of more than 11 million – generates income through paid YouTube live chats (where viewers pay to have their comments highlighted during live streams), live events, and paid “baptisms” that are livestreamed to fans across Latin America and beyond.
Using multiple analytical tools, the BBC estimates that he made up to $1.5 million through social media views alone.
