Fake sex, real hate: deepfake pornography as technological violence in 4chan’s manosphere

Journal title SOCIOLOGIA DELLA COMUNICAZIONE
Author/s Francesco Pira, Umberto Spaticchia, Roberta Casagrande
Publishing Year 2026 Issue 2025/70
Language Italian Pages 22 P. 95-116 File size 885 KB
DOI 10.3280/SC2025-070006
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The article examines the use of non-consensual deepfake pornography on the anonymous platform 4chan, framing it as a form of gendered technological violence. The authors argue that such content is not the result of isolated incidents, but part of a structured and normalized discourse sustained by algorithmic and cultural misogyny. Through a combination of computational analysis and critical discourse analysis, the study shows how requests and practices of “synthetic nudification” become performative, commercial, and ritualized acts. The authors also stress the need for interdisciplinary responses that address the cultural and technological context in which these practices emerge.

Keywords: deepfake pornography, manosphere, gender-based violence, artificial intelligence, online misogyny.

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Francesco Pira, Umberto Spaticchia, Roberta Casagrande, Fake sex, real hate: deepfake pornography as technological violence in 4chan’s manosphere in "SOCIOLOGIA DELLA COMUNICAZIONE " 70/2025, pp 95-116, DOI: 10.3280/SC2025-070006