Why guys who post a lot on social media are seen as less manly

• For better or worse, much of life is categorized along gendered lines: Clothing stores have sections for men and women, certain foods are considered more manly or more feminine, and even drinks can take on a gendered sheen (“manmosa,” anyone?).
• Our newly published research finds that even social media is a canvas for rigid gender stereotyping.
• Specifically, we show that men who post often on social media are seen as feminine, a phenomenon we refer to as the “frequent-posting femininity stereotype.” We observed this bias in four experiments featuring over 1,300 respondents from the U.S. and U.K.

To post is to be seen as unmanly

• There’s even a tendency for people to think it is unmanly to sleep more, because needing rest is connected to being weak and vulnerable.
• We thought about how some of these notions might come into play on social media.
• We also controlled for the gender, age, political beliefs and social media use of the people who participated in the study.
• Notably, we used an identical scenario to describe a woman’s posting behavior – and post frequency had no effect on how feminine people thought she was.

An aversion to appearing needy

• We discovered that anyone who frequently posts, regardless of their gender, comes across as a person who seeks attention and validation.
• But this projected sense of neediness only translates to perceived femininity in men.
• In both cases – and to our surprise – frequent posting caused participants to see these social media users as more feminine.

Broadening the definition of manhood

• For example, it’s unclear to what degree the frequent-posting femininity stereotype affects how men are judged in different cultures.
• Our research suggests that this link is durable and reflects persistent gender dynamics.
• The frequent-posting femininity stereotype reveals another instance in which men are judged for attempting to express themselves and build social connections.
• What will it take for that rigid definition of manhood to be broadened?