Algorithms of Aggression: A Mediational Analysis of Social Media Consumption, Masculine Norms and Rape Myth Acceptance Among Nigerian Male Undergraduates

Background Despite growing attention to the Manosphere in Western contexts, the mechanisms through which algorithmic exposure to misogynistic digital content translates into rape-supportive attitudes within African postcolonial settings remain poorly understood. This study tested a theoretically grounded mediation model in which conformity to masculine norms mediates the relationship between social media consumption intensity and rape myth acceptance among Nigerian male undergraduates. Methods Using a cross-sectional correlational design, 422 male undergraduates (M age = 21.4, SD = 2.3) were recruited from two Nigerian universities via multi-stage cluster sampling. Participants completed the Social Media Intensity Scale-Adapted (SMIS-A), the Conformity to Masculine Norms Inventory-22 (CMNI-22; Power Over Women, Dominance, and Violence subscales), and the Illinois Rape Myth Acceptance Scale-Short Form (IRMA-SF). Mediation analysis was conducted using PROCESS Macro (Model 4) with 5,000 bias-corrected bootstrap samples. Results Social media intensity was significantly positively associated with rape myth acceptance (r = .38, p < .01). Conformity to masculine norms significantly mediated this relationship (indirect effect = .17, 95% CI [.11, .24]; proportion mediated = 44.7%), indicating partial mediation. The Power Over Women (b = .09) and Dominance (b = .07) subscales were the primary mediating dimensions; the Violence subscale effect was minimal (b = .01). Conclusions Algorithmic exposure to Manosphere content predicts rape myth acceptance among Nigerian male undergraduates, substantially mediated by relational masculine norm internalisation. These findings extend Social Cognitive Theory and Cultivation Theory to a postcolonial African context and highlight the need for culturally adapted digital literacy interventions and positive masculinity programming in Nigerian higher education.