The Guy Code of Social Media

Zoe Schaefer Blog Post 2

Lora Strey

Composition 101-12

The Guy Code of Social Media

“Bro’s Before Ho’s’: The Guy Code” by, Michael Kimmel is an article that shares a world of rules regarding masculinity. In his article he summarizes the general guy code into a list of ten. They are listed to the right. The overall feeling one would get after looking at this list is showing any emotion as makes you less manly. In his article he also states how young women feel free to be whatever they like while young men still feel a pressure to “Be a man!” (469). While reading this article it is easy to picture guys we know acting out these “rules”.

            This article makes my group think of the men we know and how they portray themselves to others via social networks (i.e. facebook, Instagram, twitter). The men of our life always come across more masculine and less themselves while on these sites. The fact that men only show a certain side of themselves on the web is clear in nearly every form of media I can think of. After reading this article I have a couple questions on my mind: If you look on Instagram, Facebook, Tumblr or Twitter, can you find all of the rules of the “Real Guy’s Top Ten List”, in real guys?

            My group began checking out hash-tags over various social networking sites. What we found was astonishing. For example, if I search the #sizematters on Instagram I find tons of pictures of buff guys at the gym, taking mirror selfie’s. Or if I go on twitter and search #rideordie I found many tweets (from men) revolving around sports teams. One good example of this is “Hahha you don’t know pain until you become a cowboy fan for life… #rideordie”

(@antonio_g5). After searching all of the rules of the guys top ten list (in some variation or another) you can indeed find men and boys of all ages acting by these specific guidelines.

            I will personally never know why men act the way they do on social networking sites. I’m not sure if I ever will. This makes me wonder, is there a secret “guy code” that I don’t know about? If so, why do men put up with it (I know women don’t)? Regardless, the only way that any of this will change if guys ‘Take it Like a Man’ (#4) and show some emotion.

           

           

Works Sited

Code, Guy. Humble Pie. Digital image. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Sept. 2014.

Garcia, Antonio (@antonio_g5). “hahha you don’t know pain until you become a cowboy fan for life…#rideordie”. 07 Sep 14, 4:13. Tweet.

Kimmel, Michael. "Bro's Before Ho's; The Guy Code." America Now: Short Readings from Recent Periodicals. 10th ed. Boston: Robert Atwan, 2013. 469-75. Print.

(Tony_Fitt). “Still on my shred flow😎 #sizematters #shredz #boom #shredzarmy #gymtime #muddafucka #fit #fitness #fitt #swoldier #nofilter”24 September 2014. 4:30pm. Instagram.