Does Green Technology Seem Unmanly?

Loud, powerful and, masculine – this is how technology is presented on the three most popular German tech channels on YouTube. Environmentally friendly aspects not only take a back seat but are also perceived as “unmanly” in some cases. This is shown by a study by Bonn-Rhein-Sieg University of Applied Sciences.

Youtuber Felix Bahlinger loves fast cars. He is particularly fond of the electric brand Tesla. On his channel Felixba, he presents himself with his own car, a Tesla Model S. He drives it around a racetrack, has it painted in extravagant colors or modifies it with expensive parts.cmoet. His more than 700,000 subscribers regularly watch him do this. In addition to Teslas, smartphones and other electrical devices are the focus of his channel.

Felix Bahlinger is one of the biggest German-speaking tech Youtubers. In a survey conducted by the social media agency Hitchon in 2023, he was ranked third among the German channels with the most subscribers in the field of technology. In addition to their focus on technology, the top ten channels in the ranking have one thing in common: they are all run by men.

Technology by men for men

Tech content on the popular video platform is heavily male-dominated. It’s not just the tech Youtubers themselves who are predominantly young, white and male – a trend in this direction can also be seen in the communities. This is shown by the results of a qualitative study conducted by Franziska Franken at Bonn-Rhein-Sieg University of Applied Sciences. The study examined the portrayal of masculinity in technology videos on YouTube. Franken analyzed selected videos from the most popular German language accounts with a focus on technology, including the corresponding comment sections. The selected channels from the “tech influencer” category include the channel AlexiBexi, the channel TuToTv n www.youtube.com/@TuTo and the channel Felixba.

Another finding of the study: women are not explicitly excluded within the technology community on YouTube. However, a random examination of the comment sections under technology videos revealed that significantly more accounts with male attributes such as a male name or a male profile picture responded to the videos than accounts with female attributes. A study from 2018, which investigated the connection between gaming content on YouTube and male identity formation, came to similar conclusions.

The technology depicted in the videos also embodies masculine ideals. For example, that of the courageous explorer and adventurer who takes risks when dealing with technology. There is the sports car that races around the track, the industrial robot that transports car bodies onto the conveyor belt with tremendous force, and the laptop that is decorated with inspiring sayings from space travel and gives users the feeling of working for a space organization themselves.

The Youtubers interact with technical devices that are presented in a strong and powerful way. “It’s warm, it’s loud, it’s something new every day” – this is how a worker in a car production plant describes his job. The interviewer: Youtuber Alexander Böhm, better known by his channel name “Alexibexi”. The 35-year-old takes his viewers on a tour of the car factory, showing them the production lines and experiencing the technology on camera on their behalf. During his tour of the factory, the tech Youtuber also describes a tool change: “Epic processes with gigantic cranes hoisting tons of tools across the room.” The industrial robots involved in these processes in the car factory were named by the workers after the movie monsters Godzilla and King Kong. The impression is that anyone who interacts with the technology can put themselves in the shoes of the archaic film hero: strong and heroic, corresponding to a masculine ideal.

Focus on the life of a technician

The cliché of the “nerd”, who mainly deals with technology in theory, is less widespread. In the videos examined, dealing with technology is predominantly portrayed in practical terms. The only qualifications required are curiosity and a natural desire to try things out. The Youtubers present themselves as explorers in their videos: they do not need any instructions to put technology into operation. Instead, they test things intuitively and share their experiences with their viewers. YouTubers often combine their technical experiences with positive emotions. Even if they initially fail with the devices shown, their zest for action enables them to conquer the technology again and again and successfully put it into operation.

The technical devices shown are rarely ordinary and often expensive and spectacular. In addition to sports cars, the Youtubers show their viewers whirlpools, extravagant screens and expensive electrical appliances with special features. Consumption plays a major role in the videos. Especially in the widespread “technology reviews”, the evaluation of technology based on selected criteria, new, often expensive devices are unpacked, assembled and tested. The look, feel and extravagance of the device are often at the forefront of the evaluation. In most cases, functionality plays a subordinate role.

Disagreement on environmental aspects

Environmental aspects are of secondary importance for a good evaluation of the appliances presented. They are only mentioned and evaluated to a very limited extent. For example, Felix Bahlinger and his video about the electric sports car: Instead of questioning the energy consumption on the racetrack, the aspect of the electric drive is at best discussed in connection with the stronger acceleration. Nevertheless, the environmentally friendly technology shown is controversially discussed in the community. Under the video by Felix Bahlinger, a discussion about the masculinity of electric engines in cars ensues. Some commentators consider environmentally friendly electric engines to be “not manly enough”. Others criticize this attitude: despite the environmentally friendly engine, such a car still has “oomph” and is in no way inferior to a car with an internal combustion engine in terms of power. The focus is also clear in the video itself. Felixba does laps of the racetrack and talks to a companion about acceleration, handling and horsepower. The thrilling driving experience, the adrenaline rush and the luxurious equipment overshadow the environmental aspects – they are not addressed.

The male view of technology dominates in the YouTube videos examined. Despite this clear bias, there are moments when a female perspective shows up in the videos. For example, in Alexibexi’s tour of the car factory: at the end of the video, it is revealed that a woman was behind the camera. She was the one who captured the enormous robots called “Godzilla” and “King Kong” with the camera lens. So even in a world of technology dominated by men, there is room for diverse perspectives and experiences. There are gaps here that can lead to more inclusive representations of technology and gender.

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Franziska Franken

Franziska Franken was born in Siegburg in 1995. As soon as she could read, she devoured every book she could get her hands on – from thousand-page fantasy tomes to gory psychological thrillers and Shakespeare. She soon realized that she wanted to tell such stories herself. Her first short story to make it into a book was about a destroyed war memorial in the Soviet Union. When she is not reading or writing, Franziska can be found in her garden among her vegetable plants.