When Donald Trump won the White House again in November, his team recognized several people in their victory speeches. Following Trump on stage, UFC CEO Dana White shouted to an enthusiastic crowd, «I want to thank the Nelk Boys, Adin Ross, Theo Von, the Bussin' with the Boys podcast and, no lastly, to the powerful and influential Joe Rogan!», writes FT. Some Americans—probably many of them—had never heard these names before. For others, they were well-known celebrities.
An unexpected connection between Donald Trump, Adin Rose, Andrew Tate and Romania: How Adin Ross, an American streamer, became one of the architects of Trump's election victory. Adin Ross is a friend of Andrew Tate and even wanted to visit him in prison in Bucharest in 2023, but the Romanian authorities denied him access In campaigning to become president again, Trump skipped CBS's 60 Minutes, breaking a decades-old tradition. Instead, he spent, by my count, about 17 hours—or 1,000 minutes—talking to a group of podcasters who have become new media stars. This group, a constellation of online influencers and comedians who revolve around superstar Rogan, has been called the «manosphere» because of their influence on young Americans. Rogan, Von and at least one member of the Nelk Boys arrived in Washington this week for Trump's inauguration festivities. In the roundhouse of the US Capitol, Rogan sat alongside tech billionaires and former US presidents like Barack Obama and George W. Bush to watch Trump take the oath of office. As Trump spoke, influencers Jake and Logan Paul pranked Von, who fell off his chair. At the Starlight Ball that night, the group of podcasters mingled with cryptocurrency entrepreneurs, donors and celebrities like X CEO Linda Yaccarino, Megyn Kelly and Caitlyn Jenner. Jake Paul lifted Mike Tyson onto his shoulders as he staggered. Their presence seems to have cemented the entry of the «manosphere» into the upper ranks of American political power — and a seismic revolution in the media. Major changes in media usually arise from a new format or technology. But podcasts and YouTube have been around since the 2000s. Instead, we're witnessing radical changes coming from the less visible corners of the Internet, which serve increasingly niche interests, allowing people to personalize their information sources and «diet mediate». These people seem approachable and relatable. And they just touched a huge group [subdeservit]. The result is «a radical reordering of trust and credibility in the media,» says Gabriel Kahn, a media professor at the University of Southern California. «It's like shards of glass from what was once — the academic term would be — a single audience, broken into millions of micro-audiences. Organized according to interests or loyalties». There is a huge and ever-growing media world that remains hidden from mainstream public view. Today's podcast stars are simultaneously very famous — filling Madison Square Garden, for example — and yet unknown to much of America. My parents, who are in their 70s and still watch the «news» on TV all day, have never heard of them. For younger generations, YouTube has replaced cable television. Media observers have been talking about this fragmentation for years. But during the recent US election, the trend seemed to explode in plain sight, exemplified by the influx of podcasters into the marble halls of Washington this week. This reordering raises an existential question for the giant conglomerates that have dominated American media for the past century: Where will the dust settle? And what will be the role of traditional media in 10 years? Unlike Hollywood actors or journalists, who are always at a distance, these new stars are defined by how accessible they are. They are «in your ear» while you wash the dishes or drive to work; they are on the TV in the background while you work or eat dinner. Every week there's a different episode—an hour, two, or even three. They respond to your comments. I actually read them live. I speak informally, sometimes rudely. Some of them have been banned from various platforms due to the use of hate speech or other controversies. «I seem like the kind of guy whose house you'd pass on the way to high school, who fixes his car in the yard, and on the way to school he might throw you a can of beer, and on the way home he'd invite you to to try a bong for the first time,» says Scott Galloway, who hosts the business and technology podcast Pivot with Kara Swisher. «These guys seem relatable. And they just touched a huge group [subdeservit]». Stylistically, the «manosphere» is, in many ways, the opposite of what traditional media is taught to do. As journalists, we are required to be short and concise. Television news is an elegant and broad production: the presenters are made up, seated in elaborate settings, speaking formally and deliberately. Legendary news veteran Brian Williams recently criticized the tone of newscasts, calling it «old clichés from another era of American life.» In contrast, these new shows consist mostly of discussions without clear direction. A live stream on Twitch can last eight hours or more. The hosts are not journalists, nor do they want to be.
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