Development and application of the Masculinity Content Classification Framework

• Aimed to identify and define categories of content in the ‘mainstream manosphere.’ • Developed the Masculinity Content Classification Framework (MCFF). • Applied this framework to code TikTok video data provided by 142 young men. • Manosphere narratives found in 6% of videos, innocuous entry point content in 38%. • The MCFF enables standardised measurement of a currently elusive cultural ideology. The manosphere, once confined to fringe online communities, has now evolved to infiltrate mainstream social media platforms. Research operationalising manosphere content on these platforms is limited, with previous definitions relying on iterations from fringe spaces. Additionally, research has yet to investigate this content within young men’s social media data. This study aimed to (1) develop the first operationalised coding framework for mainstream manosphere content on TikTok, and (2) apply and refine this framework using real-world TikTok data from young men. A qualitative framework analysis was conducted in two phases. Phase 1 involved social media monitoring to inductively develop the Masculinity Content Classification Framework. In Phase 2, the framework was applied to manually code 2,414 videos from 142 young men’s (aged 16–25) TikTok data. The framework comprised three categories: Cultural touchpoints , Procuring masculine status ( masculine status ), and Degrading social and emotional wellbeing ( degrading health ). The cultural touchpoint category did not meet criteria to be viewed as part of the manosphere, but served as an innocuous entry point to manosphere themes covered in the masculine status and degrading health categories. Application of the framework illustrated the presence of these latter two categories in young men’s data (5.76% of videos), while cultural touchpoint content was most common (37.74% of videos). This study provides the first operationalised framework for analysing manosphere content on mainstream social media platforms, providing researchers with a comprehensive framework to investigate the relationship between manosphere content and young men’s social and emotional health