Among the many questions that will plague Democrats in the months following Kamala Harris’ defeat in the 2024 presidential election: What is happening to Gen Z men?
Could it be that growing up in a fundamentally different media environment than the generation before them, populated by individual influencers who often promote values of entrepreneurship, self-improvement, and, ultimately, self-interest above all else, has encouraged the youngest voters to share the same spirit? Vote for a man who divides? Or could it be that young people have helped popularize this content because they like what it says?
What is clear is that Donald Trump agreed and won the Bro vote.
early Exit pole data from swing state showed that men aged 18 to 29 supported Trump 49 percent to 47 percent, while women aged 18 to 29 favored Harris by 24 points — the largest gender gap of any age group, and defying conventional wisdom. which once painted the youth as largely progressive.
It’s worth noting that exit poll data can be unreliable and it will take weeks for a clear picture to emerge. But while we await a more comprehensive demographic breakdown of the election, it’s fair to say that Trump’s campaign was uniquely aligned with Gen Z bros. He appeared in a series of online streams and podcasts highly targeted at youth, an unusual media strategy that some second-guessed but ultimately proved vindicated.
That Trump would attempt such a campaign should come as no surprise. Gen Z leans more to the right than its predecessors. This fall, a Harvard Youth Poll shows 18- to 24-year-old men say they are more likely to identify as liberal than conservative, while men and women in the same age group say they are more conservative than 25- to 29-year-olds.
A According to research by Gallup and the Walton Family Foundation Z teens are twice as likely to identify as millennials and their parents as conservative as their parents were 20 years ago. This was especially true for male Republican teenagers. young people Also more skeptical of major American institutions, including political parties, government, and the media.
Trump’s campaign spoke directly to this demographic: He echoed the same distrust in institutions, and did so while stopping by seemingly every podcast, Twitch stream, YouTube channel, and TikTok page whose audience is dominated by Gen Z men and boys. He joined Adin Ross, now a 24-year-old streamer who Once famously looked and struggled to read the definition of “fascism” on camera, for an interview during which Ross gave him a Rolex and a Cybertruck.
He went on comedian Theo Vaughn’s podcast, where they discussed cocaine, golf and the UFC.
He hangs out with YouTube millionaires like the Paul Brothers and the Nail Boys, known for their disturbing pranks and crypto scams.
And, of course, he spoke with the world’s most famous podcaster, Joe Rogan; two men running into each other For three hours, he got Rogan’s much-desired support.
Where did the Gen Z brow media diet come from?
One source of endless recent debate is the rightward turn of youth, even though the answer is in plain sight. Young men see the progress women have made over the past few generations — earned man College degree and approx The share of women is triple Those who earn as much or more than their husbands since the mid-70s — and feeling Left behind and demonized by the left
Nearly half of men between the ages of 18 and 29 say there is “some or a lot” of discrimination against men in America, up from a third in 2019. Center for Survey on American Lifewhich is affiliated with the American Enterprise Institute, a right-leaning think tank They believed that the Me Too movement was an overblown propaganda and that many women were lying about being abused.
It’s not exactly surprising that they gravitate to media that speaks to these grievances — and more often than not, that media comes in the form of individual influencers who are unaffiliated with existing media institutions. like Rush Limbaugh in the 90s, These creators have tapped into a huge pool of men who want to say they can still aspire to be the head of the household. Even if they can’t find rent or a girlfriend.
Social media platforms certainly encourage this type of content. Although it fits into a specific niche, it is provocative and engaging, and therefore users will continue to see more if they watch or share it. That’s why the world of bro influencers remains such a mystery to older men, women, or anyone outside of that particular algorithm: The social media landscape is atomized and personalized for each user, yet so many men are funneling at the same time.
Part of the problem for Democrats is that the most popular content on the Internet is completely apolitical (consider Alex Cooper’s call her father which only briefly ventured into politics to interview Kamala Harris) or lean right and focus on men. While plenty of podcasters and influencers espouse left-wing and liberal views, they don’t make nearly as much impact. There are those on the right.
Hasan wholesalerPerhaps the left’s only answer to this brand of charismatic, attractive and overtly political young male influencer, Explained like this: “If you’re a dude under 30 and you have a hobby, whether it’s playing video games, working out, listening to history podcasts, or whatever, every aspect of it is completely dominated by … from the Trumpian right to the center-right. .
A branch of this network is what author Max Reid dubbed “The Internet“, which he covered this summer when Haley Welch went viral for her “Huck Tuah” joke. It’s spooky and reactionary, and it’s brought together by a love of college sports and the gambling industry.
It is also worth noting that the rightward shift among young people is not limited to men, nor is it exclusively the domain of male dominants. Digital researcher Jess Rauchberg X points to that the flow of Tradewife content may change “the way young white women envision their role in political participation” (although I would argue This stretch beyond Only white women) producers such as ballerina farms and reality shows The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, She argues, “authorizing a form of political participation that reinforces separate (economic, political) spheres for women and men.”
The seeds of this media landscape were germinated a decade ago, when the social justice movement Prompted by the rise of social media A swift backlash was met in the form of harassment campaigns such as Gamergate. Those tactics were then orchestrated in a way that at the time mystified the not-so-online to help get Trump elected the first time.
ten years later, Men are even lonelySingles are more likely, more skeptical, and more fearful than ever. They find solace and community online, in places that older people don’t yet understand, where they see idealized versions of masculinity triumph. They cheer UFC fights and boxing matches, use “edgy” slurs, trade in risky crypto investments, bootlick Silicon Valley billionaires, listen to toxic dating advice and insult women.
They vote for a man who did Things you shouldn’t do – steal, lie, rape, idolize Hitler – because her election fulfills their fantasy that men can really get away with whatever they want.
For now, it looks like they’re right.
