“News influencers” are social media translators, who convey the big news of the day through a TikTok comment or an Instagram photo. It also happens to be very masculine.
As the trust in traditional media is declining, many are turning to social media apps to get their news. News relayers in these applications take an important role, presenting breaking political news from their point of view. According to a new study by the Pew Research Center, 63% of influencers are men, a demographic that leans toward Donald Trump. In addition, 27% of them identify outwardly as Republicans.
This news is trending on social media
On social media, men have twice as many stories as women. The gender gap widens and narrows, depending on the platform: 68% of YouTube’s content is male, while TikTok looks more like 50/50. That two-thirds of news anchors are men may have some political significance, especially when paired with voting patterns: 55% of men voted for Trump, according to early polling data, compared to just 43% for Harris.
Of these news anchors, 52% expressed a political preference outside, with Republicans outnumbering Democrats 27% to 21%. Platform is also important here, with Facebook and Instagram serving as the most conservative news influencers, at 39% and 30% respectively. There is a striking imbalance here, between the political identities of the organizers and the audience. While many influencers identify as Republicans, the group most receptive to influencer content happens to be liberal Democrats.
Identity and political affiliation are especially important in the media landscape of social media, which is often ideological. When asked what type of information they provided, 87% of respondents agreed that they provided “opinions or take on problems and events.” That large number of men are not only reporting—they are also expressing their personal beliefs.
These figures may feel absurd. News anchors are mainly people who appear simultaneously on a broad feed, followed with a strong respect as a TV commentator like Rachel Maddow or Jesse Watters. But their audience is high: 21% of Americans regularly get news from influencers, a number that jumps to 37% of those aged 18-29.
The changing “manosphere” of media
As Gen Z men overwhelmingly voted for Trump in the 2024 election, many pundits and critics turned their anger toward the “manosphere.” Most of the figures in this space don’t do overtly political content: Joe Rogan cracks jokes, Mark Calaway discusses wrestling, and Lex Fridman talks tech. Still, they all had Trump on their shows, humanizing him in the process.
What is remarkable about the “manosphere” is not only its acceptance of Trump, but also its independence from the mainstream. That goes for news promoters, too. For liberals, Charlie Kirk may be a MAGA nuisance with several viral debate clips. But for the Conservatives, he is a source of news. Therefore, Kirk’s TikTok dedicated to news updates and comments has more than four million followers than his chat account.
Yes, there are plenty of free men posting stories, too. Hasan Piker is possibly the biggest name in left-wing internet politics; curates the headlines of his 2.8 million Twitch followers. But as the right continues to move into “big space,” the width of the gender gap remains alarming. Online men fall for Trump; that includes media influencers, too.
