The History of MGTOW: Men Going Their Own Way and the Digital Decline of Modern Masculinity

Monday, June 14, 2025.

Once upon an algorithm, somewhere between the fall of Napster and the rise of Jordan Peterson, a cohort of mostly online men quietly muttered: What if we just... didn’t?

Didn’t marry.
Didn’t move in.
Didn’t date.
Didn’t even try.

That whisper became a meme. That meme became a philosophy. And that philosophy became a slow, bitter exodus—one disillusioned Reddit thread, YouTube video, and YouTube ban at a time.

They called themselves MGTOW (Men Going Their Own Way). And whether you consider them lonely prophets or digital reactionaries, the movement offers a cultural Rorschach test for what’s been happening to men in the 21st century.

Act I: Origins in the Blogosphere (2000–2008)

In the early 2000s, the internet was still proudly awkward. Cargo shorts were in. So were anonymous blog rants. Somewhere in this formative stew, the MGTOW meme was born—not as an organization, but as a reaction.

Men like Angry Harry and Paul Elam (founder of A Voice for Men) built websites criticizing what they called “gynocentric” culture. Their claims? Marriage was a legal death trap. Divorce courts were biased. Feminism had rebranded chivalry as oppression.

These early adopters weren’t trying to dominate women. They were trying to avoid them altogether.

They called it sovereignty. Critics called it sulking. Either way, the groundwork for MGTOW was laid: an anti-relationship, anti-institution, pro-self-preservation philosophy.

Act II: The YouTube and Reddit Expansion (2009–2015)

Then came YouTube.

Channels like Sandman, Stardusk, and Turd Flinging Monkey turned MGTOW into a genre. Each video reinforced the same idea: relationships with women—especially modern, Western women—were high-risk, low-reward endeavors.

Meanwhile, on Reddit, the now-banned /r/MGTOW subreddit exploded with testimonials, rants, and memes.

MGTOW was no longer just a stance—it was a support group. A place for men to explain why they’d “checked out.”

The movement also formally split from the Red Pill community. Red Pillers wanted to manipulate the dating game. MGTOWs wanted to flip the board and go build furniture alone.

Act III: Cultural Thermometer and Algorithmic Spread (2016–2020)

By 2016, MGTOW had become a symptom, not a cause.

A symptom of male loneliness, declining marriage rates, and a growing distrust in gender institutions.

Enter Jordan Peterson, the reluctant professor-turned-oracle. While he publicly criticized MGTOW, his audience often overlapped with theirs—young men looking for guidance in a culture that seemed to scorn them.

Meanwhile, YouTube's recommendation engine started nudging viewers toward MGTOW videos when they searched for things like “how to get over a breakup” or “why don’t women like nice guys?” MGTOW was now a default mood for disenchanted men, not just an ideology.

The line between meme and identity blurred—like a dating coach’s credentials.

Act IV: Platform Purges and Stealth Mode (2020–2025)

In 2020, Reddit banned /r/MGTOW. YouTube demonetized many MGTOW creators. But rather than dying, the movement fragmented and rebranded:

• Sigma Males: introverted alphas, lone wolves in designer hoodies

• Passport Bros: men seeking love (or validation) abroad

• Digital Monks: men embracing celibacy as a virtue, not a curse

• Blackpilled Men: those who gave up entirely

By 2023, Pew Research reported that a growing number of young men had no interest in long-term relationships. Many cited distrust, burnout, or financial anxiety. Not all were MGTOW. But most were, to some extent, walking their own way—quietly.

Movement, Mirror, or Mood?

MGTOW was never a club. It was a mood.

A shrug wrapped in an ideology. It revealed something we still don’t quite know how to talk about: male grief, male confusion, and male disengagement in an age that often treats them as punchlines.

You don’t have to agree with MGTOW to understand why it exists.

But if you're serious about relationships, culture, or men’s mental health, you’d be foolish to ignore the trail it’s left behind.

Be Well, Stay Kind, and Godspeed.

REFERENCES:

Ging, D. (2019). Alphas, betas, and incels: Theorizing the masculinities of the manosphere. Men and Masculinities, 22(4), 638–657.

Peterson, J. B. (2018). 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos. Random House.

Pew Research Center. (2023). Public has mixed views on the modern American family.

Schmitz, R. M., & Kazyak, E. (2016). Masculinities in cyberspace: An analysis of portrayals of manhood in MGTOW forums. Journal of Gender Studies, 25(5), 563–577.

Wilkins, A. C. (2012). Masculinity dilemmas: Sexuality and intimacy talk among young straight men. Men and Masculinities, 15(3), 288–308.