Hegemonic Masculinity and Toxic Technocultures. Discourse in the Review Bombing of HBO’s The Last of Us

Review bombing is an internet phenomenon in which a mob of users posts a deluge of negative reviews and low rating scores in a short period of time against a product they consider offensive. It can be interpreted as a form of ideological conflict, which frequently corresponds to an outburst of social distress from gaming communities. This contribution focuses on the cyber hostility against HBO’s adaptation of one of the most successful video games in recent times: The Last of Us (TLoU). Inspired by the tenets of Discourse Studies and of the Discourse Historical Approach, the paper analyzes the discursive strategies used to attack the series’ inclusive representations. It suggests interpreting review bombing as a form of collective political resentment which conflates overt and covert forms of hate speech towards marginalized groups. Drawing on existing research on hegemonic masculinity, geek communities, and online hate speech, the contribution offers insights on how toxic masculinity functions as a gatekeeper to participation in contemporary media.