Earlier this year, Netflix’s Adolescence sparked a national conversation around social media, the “manosphere”, and its impact on boys and young men.
How are young men represented? Where do they become “influenced”? And are they being influenced in positive or negative ways?
Award-winning, global influencer marketing agency, The Goat Agency, decided to investigate some of these questions for our latest Goat Intelligence report;
How young men feel about the role of online male influencers in their lives and communities.
Partnering with YouGov, we surveyed 4,000 young men aged 18-34 across the UK and US. We asked them questions pertaining to social media, influencers, male role models, and the depiction of men and masculinity online.
As an example, our research found that “1 in 3 (32%) of young British men said that based on what they see on social media, they have a more negative view of men in general.”
Goat’s Head of Marketing, Joanna Hughston, explained, “With this research, we wanted to understand how young men are engaging with and being impacted by social media influencers, particularly as when the conversation around male influencers does arise, it tends to focus on negative connotations. We wanted to understand if this is really the reality of young men across social media and ask ourselves, ‘Are we accurately representing young men’s experiences, especially when it comes to the type of content or influence they’re looking to engage with?’. We found that the story is not straightforward, and we want to shine a spotlight on this, as well as help brands understand how to better reach this audience.”
We’ve collated the key findings into one digestible report, including tips and actionable insights from Goat employees in the UK and US.
The chapters focus on:
- Young men on… Trust.
- Young men on… Influencer Effectiveness
- Young men on… Popular Influence
- Young men on… Positive Influence
- Young men on… Mental Health
Get a copy of “Male Influence” here.
Don’t miss your chance to meet the Goat team at DMWF Global, 24th-25th June 2025. We’ll be stationed on both days at booth 194 and will be speaking on the Creator and Influencer stage at 12:30pm on day 2 (25th).
