Philosophy for Men; Instagram Poetry for Women?

Posljednje ažuriranje srijeda, 16/09/2026

The year is 2026. The online world (our second home) is a place that was born not that long ago, and that created a new, digital way of socialising. It’s shaped by constantly shifting trends. By design, these trends are easily swallowed, and yet the human brain still craves sustenance amid an abundance of nutritionally deficient media. Men turn to online philosophy; women turn to Instagram poetry. Our second home becomes a breeding ground for subtle misogyny.

Note: The following article is a study of online culture, more specifically, the culture of online trends. The female and male genders will be represented in a way that stereotypes their behaviour while they engage in quasi-intellectual trends, to better represent the core ideas behind this noticeably gendered movement. In no way, shape, or form is this article meant to minimise individual differences among human beings.

Trends come and go; ’90s heroin chic is replaced by curvy goddesses in the blink of an eye. We live a fast life, and dynamism is favoured over stability.

An ideal man spends his Monday at the gym, and by Sunday, he’s trying to construct the Library of Babylon inside his mind. If a man wants to be a real man, he needs to be the best version of himself. Fulfilling his potential is the only acceptable goal; small enjoyments (e.g. eating fast food) are looked down upon in favour of a strict personal regime. Sometimes that means an ideal body, sometimes that means being a provider, sometimes it means being a leader.

A “female” (a word strategically used to dehumanise women) needs to be sexually liberated, unless she wishes to be in a classy, classically perceived marriage. In that case, she must be sexy in moderation, only within the ideal time frame. Sometimes girls need dramatic makeup, sometimes they need to be nurturing mothers, and sometimes they need to be wild, free, and reckless in an endearing way.

In conclusion, body trends change, fashion trends change, and personality trends change. It’s hard to find something both constantly desired and universally wanted.

Enter: intelligence.

Always relevant, critically acclaimed, good to have in your résumé regardless of the job you are applying for. It will never go out of style, so we can count on it, even when the hands of the world crudely bend our personal identity into a caricature of a fulfilled person. 

Quasi-intellectualism is an aesthetic movement that uses intelligent formats (poetry, philosophy, classical music…) as a means to appear more sophisticated socially. It’s a form without substance, dressed up as depth. A way to give the impression of being knowledgeable and sophisticated without putting any effort into acquiring information that would actually solidify critical thinking skills.

Philosophy for Men

The male quasi-intellectualism movement is very dependent on pop philosophy, which is a cousin of pop psychology. Popular psychology (pop psychology) has been a well-documented phenomenon for some time now, taking social media by storm. Pop philosophy is a newer “discipline,” which still shares a lot of similarities with pop psychology: spreading misinformation, providing inaccurate advice, oversimplifying complex ideas, and exploiting the otherwise unknowledgeable online community.

Nietzsche and Kant are the main inspirations, leading scapegoats of pop philosophy. When stripped of nuance, they can be interpreted as endorsing egoism (“Morality is the herd-instinct in the individual.” – Nietzsche) and dismissing social niceties, even if it means misquoting their muses. “If the truth shall kill them, let them die” is a quote commonly attributed to Kant in the sphere of pop philosophy but, according to critics, that attribution is incorrect. Gospel worship occurs because of bastardised interpretations and careless misinformation. Cherry-picking takes the stage.

Empathy is secondary when you believe one of the greatest minds in the history of the world gave you permission to put yourself first in every situation, killing shame and killing any respect for other people - killing any respect for women, more specifically. In the eyes of the pop philosophy sphere, women don't belong in this online space; therefore, their intellect and their “feeling-oriented view of the world” get laughed at. Sexism is grounded in perceived intellectual superiority and the description of philosophy as a masculine discipline. The truth is: if you are a sexist, any quote mentioning gender issues may become a breeding ground for deliberate misinterpretation, as is the case in this community.

To put it simply, pop philosophy is dangerous, anti-feminist, and shameful to the philosophy community as a whole: quotes are used out of context to attack the other gender; the echo chamber that the online spaces create affirms their opinions even more, and the perceived superiority keeps the ego going while refusing to take into account other opinions. Quasi-intellectual male-oriented philosophy can be easily fixed: by actually reading the books they preach about and taking their time to understand them.

Instagram poetry for women

For the ladies, Rupi Kaur is there to take their bundle of complex feelings and simplify them in a few lines. It's easier to breathe when a ten-word poem understands you better than you could ever understand yourself. Instagram poetry is a minimalist form of poetry, often accompanied by visual elements, that takes the form of a few short, easily readable lines and is shared on social media for broad accessibility and emotional relatability.

„i am mine

before i am ever anyone else’s.” - Rupi Kaur

Poetry experts in the rigid circles of elitist structuralism and rhyme-centred intellectualism deny the importance, effectiveness, and even the poetic legitimacy of the production, casual publication, and idealisation of this type of poetry. We could call them snobs, but we could also call them experienced writers who were taught a different version of quality. Unlike the male version of quasi-intellectualism, women do not fall into ethical relativism but rather engage in discussions about the rules and privileges of a specific artistic movement.

Metaphors, a vast vocabulary and a "pretentious" narrative can be understood as the epitome of literature. Rupi Kaur and her peers with a similar writing style are being judged by the standards that don't take into account the “de gustibus non disputandum est” that any field connected to the arts possesses. There will always be a discussion on the possibility of objective grading standards in writing, but aesthetics are always tricky to strictly define as good or bad. Even if commonly referred to as “bad”, a best-selling book clearly won a lot of hearts and appreciation and that on its own carries value.

If one looks at the base state of human nature, they will conclude that artistic production is an instinct that we as the species carry from one generation to another. Why should writing be judged by the impact it has on the viewers of the creation as opposed to the impact it has on the creator? Instagram poetry is attractive to women because it is an easy way to express and process strong emotions in an accessible form for a wider audience, but more importantly, the more writing and reflecting a person does, the more self-understanding is being obtained. 

Of course, quasi-intellectualism is a flaw within the system of critical thinking, but when we compare the version expressed by men (morally dangerous) with the one that manifests among women (at most of questionable literary value), we can quickly and effectively conclude which one is the real problem: the one that has effects on the world beyond the screen OR the one that may serve as an effective tool for the self-improvement of a newly forged writer.

While looking over the difference in the manifestation of the online quasi-intellectual gender bubble, we can see certain trends amongst specific demographics, but we must not forget: before everything else, we are human. While quasi-intellectualism and the addiction to the online world are the root of this problem, the more visible gender bias will not go away if we lack the information and awareness of the issue. 

Keep reading, keep learning and never let the stereotypes dictate your cognitive processing.

Young Journalists in Europe - Meet the author

Tia Grgin

“My name is Tia. I am a third-year student of English Language and Literature and Philosophy at the University of Split. I am an editor of the magazine "The Split Mind" and a competitive debater. In my free time, I volunteer, write poetry and prose, and organise events whenever I can.”

This article reflects the views of the authors only. The European Commission and Eurodesk cannot be held responsible for it.