Languaging Male Psychological Struggles on TikTok

Discourses of Selfhood and Belonging

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.13136/2281-4582/2026.i27.1664

Keywords:

Masculinities, Mental Health, Tik Tok, Membership Categorization Analysis, Multimodality

Abstract

This study investigates the ways in which masculinity and mental health intersect on TikTok, analysing how social media platforms reframe traditional gender norms through emotionally charged discourses. Three distinct typologies of masculine identity, constructed in TikTok videos, have been identified using Multimodal Discourse Analysis. It is by examining all the semiotic elements present in these videos that a number of recurring “micro-performances” concurrently serving to challenge and bolster hegemonic masculinity have been brought to the fore. Although the digital performances initially appear to index novel masculine archetypes, the re-emergence of canonical traits such as emotional repression, self-reliance, and resilience ultimately serves to reaffirm conventional gender hierarchies.

The study, in fact, reveals that TikTok’s affective publics exploit these tropes to strengthen, rather than counter, traditional masculine ideals and that social media serves to shape men’s mental health stories by strengthening emotional isolation and maintaining patterns of self-reliance that make it more difficult for society to engage with vulnerability. When these findings are set off against current discussions on digital masculinities, it becomes evident that modern masculinity is both called into question and shielded against change in today’s fast-changing digital ecosphere.

Author Biographies

  • Giuseppe Balirano, University of Naples L'Orientale

    Giuseppe Balirano, PhD in ESP, è Professore ordinario di Linguistica e Traduzione, lingua Inglese presso l'Università degli Studi di Napoli L’Orientale, Dipartimento di Studi Letterari, Linguistici e Comparati, dove ricopre anche il ruolo di Delegato del Rettore per Life-long Learning, l’eLearning e la  multimedialità. Attualmente è Presidente dell’Associazione Italiana di Anglistica (AIA). I suoi interessi di ricerca comprendono gli studi critici del discorso nei social media, l’hate speech online, l’umorismo, gli studi sulla maschilità, la costruzione discorsiva della criminalità organizzata, il cinema queer e la traduzione audiovisiva (AVT). È Principal Investigator del Gruppo di Monitoraggio sull’Hate Speech Online presso l’UNIOR e direttore di BeTwiXt, una collana editoriale dedicata agli studi linguistici e comunicativi. Il suo lavoro adotta approcci analitici del discorso per indagare la costruzione identitaria in contesti multimodali, in particolare sulle piattaforme digitali. Ha pubblicato numerosi studi sui discorsi di genere e sessualità, nonché sulla semiotica dei testi visivi e mediali. Collabora attivamente a progetti nazionali e internazionali volti a promuovere l’educazione ai media e la cittadinanza digitale critica.

  • Robin Donadio , “G. d’Annunzio” University of Chieti-Pescara

    Robin Donadio è communication manager, insegnante madrelingua di inglese e sostenitore della sostenibilità, con una vasta esperienza in contesti multiculturali, educativi e di cooperazione sociale. Studioso indipendente italo-britannico, ha lavorato in diversi paesi europei, contribuendo a numerosi progetti e iniziative a supporto degli Obiettivi di Sviluppo Sostenibile (SDGs) delle Nazioni Unite, in particolare nei settori dell'uguaglianza di genere, dell'azione per il clima e della tutela della vita sulla terra e sott'acqua. Robin si è laureato con lode in Sociologia presso l'Università degli Studi di Napoli e ha conseguito un MA  in Relazioni Interculturali con specializzazione sui temi climatici presso l'Università degli Studi di Bologna. Il suo percorso accademico si è arricchito grazie a esperienze di studio e lavoro in Gran Bretagna, a Bath, Bristol e Cardiff, dove ha approfondito le sue competenze nella comunicazione interculturale, nella sostenibilità sociale e nell'insegnamento linguistico. Animato da un forte impegno per la costruzione di comunità inclusive e sostenibili, Robin integra le sue competenze comunicative, la pratica dell'insegnamento e la passione per l'advocacy ambientale per promuovere un cambiamento sociale positivo in contesti culturali diversi.

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Published

2026-06-26

Issue

No. 27 (2026): Languaging and Representing Femininities and Masculinities

Section

Articles: Special Section

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Copyright (c) 2026 Giuseppe Balirano, Robin Donadio

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