The master's thesis explores the impact of social media on the perception of masculinity among high school students. The theoretical part presents the key concepts: gender stereotypes, hegemonic masculinity, adolescence, social media, and the manosphere. Special attention is given to social media influencers who promote traditional gender roles and masculinity.
The empirical part is based on a quantitative study of 266 high school students at a vocational school. Participants completed an online survey indicating which social media influencers they follow, and then they were asked to indicate their agreement with certain statements that reflect traditional masculinity (e.g. Household chores should be done by women, not men.). The results show a correlation between following influencers who promote traditional masculinity and a higher level of agreement with such views. Differences were also found based on the most frequently used platform and students' age.
Although we cannot conclude on cause-and-effect relationships, we can still detect the importance that social media and online influencers have in the perception of masculinity and gender roles. This research provides a basis for further research and work with adolescents in the area of diversity of male identities and identifying the needs that they satisfy by spending time on social media and following certain social media influencers.
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