Man-ufactured Masculinity: How Does Social Media Create Masculine Men?

Authors: Gavin Eubanks, Sarah Nabi, Victoria Dubuisson, Fiorella Amaini Quinonez, Haven Collinsworth

Field of Study: Integrative Neuroscience

Program Affiliation: Binghamton Human Sexualities Lab

Faculty Mentors: Adam Zhao, Sean Massey, Ann Merriwether, Melissa Hardesty

Easel: 80

Timeslot: Morning

Abstract: Social media (SM) has become a near constant presence in the lives of young people; understanding how it plays a role in gender socialization provides essential insight into how gendered ideology is created, proliferated, and absorbed in a modern context, especially given competing and potentially harmful conceptualizations of masculinity (as demonstrated by SM spaces like the man-o-sphere). This study is looking to more deeply understand the extent to which SM influences how college-aged men construct their ideals and performances of masculinity. Through thematic analysis of qualitative interviews, if and how normative masculinity is reinforced through social media, and how men translate those norms into different domains of daily life, was explored. Through our findings we can identify both the harmful consequences that come with men’s consumption of SM – the perpetuation of oppressive ideals of masculinity – as well as possible pathways to positively embody masculinity to enhance individual and collective well-being.