Funding to develop Research on Social Media and Norms of Masculinity among Adolescent Boys (Mexico)

Many adolescents and young people today spend hours each day on Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, YouTube, Reddit, among other platforms, where users can create and share content in virtual communities. In many countries, this is the first generation to have grown up with wide access to social media. There is increasing concern about the potential effects on boys of exposure to misogynistic influencers such as Andrew Tate, the incelsphere and other spaces where misogyny is expressed online. The concern is how this content, communities, and role models impacts boys’ gendered identity (masculinity) – and how they relate, particularly, to girls and women.

A recent literature review conducted by ODI (forthcoming), found that research in this field is at an early stage and has been carried out, largely, in the United States and Europe. Research on masculinity and social media tends to analyze the gendered nature of online content, rather than its impact. These studies suggest that social media both offers highly stereotyped content and spaces to challenge discriminatory gender roles. Studies looking at impact of gendered online content often focus on effects on women/girls rather than boys/men, and the few studies that do examine the impact of social media on masculinity tend to focus more on young men than adolescents and have mixed, contradictory results. The limited existing research in Mexico suggests that the use and influence of social media may vary significantly between adolescents from different communities.

Overall, existing literature does not provide solid evidence that can inform policies and approaches to promote positive masculinities among adolescent boys.

Objectives

• This study seeks to further understanding of the relationship between social media use and masculinity norms among adolescent boys. It will take place in Mexico to help redress the lack of evidence from the Global South, and to capitalise on existing opportunities to feed research results into on-going processes.
• They welcome proposals that respond to (some of) the following questions, and/or propose related questions:
  • How do adolescent boys’ uses of social media vary across different contexts, both in terms of consumption and content creation? Does this differ from girls’ use and by individual, socio-economic and cultural backgrounds? And if so, how?
  • How does adolescent boys’ social media use relate to gender norms and to expectations for ‘masculine’ behaviour in particular? Are gender norms shaping their social media use and vice versa? What role do ‘offline’ gender norms at the individual, community, and societal levels play?
  • How are boys making sense of, and responding to the content and communities they encounter online? What strategies do boys have to respond to misogynist content and its potential influence on them?
  • How is the impact of social media on gender norms mediated by other factors at the individual, community, and societal levels?
  • What are the entry points and recommendations to reduce any harmful effects of social media use on gender norms and/or leverage any potential for building positive masculinities?

Funding Information

• The available budget for this project is $30-$35,000 USD to cover researchers’ time and primary research costs (travel, reimbursement of participants’ costs etc), any action research component, and dissemination activities.
• The expected timeline for the project is January – September 2024. Research should be completed by end of July 2024, to allow sufficient time for synthesis and dissemination activities.

What are they looking for?

• Proposals should explain the rationale for the research, key research questions, proposed locations, sample and methods for research and analysis, proposed outputs and dissemination activities, partnerships/collaborations, timeline, budget and experience of key staff.
• Preference will be given to proposals that:
  • Emphasize qualitative and/or mixed methods that are effective in engaging adolescents
  • Plan primary research in two or more geographical locations/with diverse social groups
  • Involve partnerships between researchers and organisations working with adolescents.
• Proposals may have an action-research component.

Research Outputs

• The research project should produce the following outputs:
  • Report presenting research findings, in Spanish and English.
  • At least 1-2 outputs aimed at practitioners or policy makers. This could include roundtables, blogs, policy briefs, or resource materials for practitioners working with adolescents etc.
  • Optional: action-research component to promote critical social media literacy and awareness of harmful gender stereotypes and/or test the effectiveness of such activities.

For more information, visit ALIGN.