Ladcultures: Social Networking Sites, 'Laddism' and Young Masculinities, 2020-2021

A key focus of this project was to consider how ‘lad’ and ‘laddish’ behaviours fit into wider processes of developing young masculine identities on social media spaces. Key questions this project wished to address were: what does it mean to be a ‘lad’ on social media? What sort of content is posted, shared and liked within these spaces? What role do these digitized spaces play in forming friendships and social connections, both on and offline? To what extent do ‘laddish’ practices on social media influence young people’s behaviour in online and offline spaces? This project aimed to make a positive societal impact by using its key research findings to develop training resources for community-based organisations in the UK who support young people in critically exploring, understanding and navigating masculinized practices in online spaces and beyond.