#TheFappening: Virtual Manhood Acts in (Homo)Social Media

• In Event: 100 - Regular Session. Continuity and Change in Contemporary Masculinities

Abstract

Using an interactionist framework, we analyze publicly available data from Twitter to track real-time reactions to the widely publicized celebrity nude photo hacking of 2014 (“The Fappening”). We ask: “What manhood acts are employed to perform masculinity in virtual social space?” Using search terms for “fappening” or “#thefappening”, we collected 100 tweets per hour from August 31 to October 1, 2014 (Average: 1700/day). Coding and qualitative analyses of a sub-sample of tweets (N=9750) reveal four virtual manhood acts commonly employed to signify hegemonic masculinity. These acts include: 1) creation of homosocial, heterosexist space 2) sexualization of women 3) signaling possession of a heterosexual, male body and 4) humor as a tool of oppression. This article introduces the concept of “virtual manhood acts” and contributes to nascent understandings of the reproduction of masculinity and the oppression of women in online social spaces.

Authors

• Mairead Eastin Moloney, University of Kentucky

• Tony Love, University of Kentucky