Emerging research from the University of Sydney reveals a striking trend on social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok, where young men are increasingly urged to undergo testosterone testing and engage in hormone therapy based on influencer-driven content. This content often promotes unverified health claims that not only exaggerate the benefits of such treatments but also obscure the substantial medical risks involved. The study, led by Emma Grundtvig Gram, a visiting PhD student from the University of Copenhagen, provides an in-depth analysis of how social media marketing normalizes testosterone-related interventions among otherwise healthy young men, raising complex concerns about public health and medical misinformation.
This study, published in the peer-reviewed journal Social Science & Medicine, undertook a comprehensive content analysis of 46 high-engagement posts on Instagram and TikTok. These posts were characterized by significant reach, collectively influencing an audience of approximately 6.8 million followers and receiving more than 650,000 likes. This considerable exposure highlights the extent of testosterone marketing’s penetration, making it a notable vector for health misinformation that intersects with the online “manosphere.” This cybersphere includes communities that emphasize a constricted and hyper-masculine identity, associating manhood with dominance, physical prowess, and sexual capability.
A key finding of the research is the strategic framing of everyday experiences such as fatigue, stress, low libido, or signs of aging as clinical symptoms of “testosterone deficiency.” Influencers deploy this narrative to suggest that these common conditions necessitate medical intervention, thereby pushing hormone therapies as a quick fix. Such tactics exploit vulnerabilities in young men, emphasizing a crisis narrative around masculinity. Dr. Brooke Nickel, senior author and public health expert at the University of Sydney, explains that this approach strips complex physiological and psychological experiences down to an oversimplified hormone imbalance, fostering an environment ripe for overdiagnosis and overtreatment.
The manosphere, a crucial context for this phenomenon, functions as an echo chamber that amplifies narrow definitions of masculinity through social and digital media. Health misinformation within these communities often merges with product marketing, using emotionally charged, fear-based messaging to encourage testosterone testing and associated product sales. For instance, one TikTok sex coach with over 100,000 followers warned that not waking up with an erection signifies “low testosterone levels,” urging followers to seek testing despite the absence of scientific corroboration for such claims. Another influencer framed testosterone levels as a binary marker of masculinity, equating deviations with femininity—an unfounded and damaging conflation of biological metrics with gender identity.
None of the analyzed posts offered scientific citations or evidence-backed references, underscoring a profound lack of medical rigor in the content promoted to millions. The majority—85 percent—originated from individuals instead of reputable health organizations. Additionally, 67 percent included direct commercial links for purchasing tests or supplements, and 72 percent disclosed financial interests in the products or services promoted. This convergence of commercial intent and health advice is particularly alarming as it confuses medical guidance with marketing strategies and exploits the trust of young men seeking legitimate health information online.
Further dissecting the narratives revealed in the study, four dominant themes emerge in testosterone marketing. Firstly, low testosterone is constructed as an urgent crisis threatening male sexuality, prompting men to act swiftly. Secondly, there is a deliberate rebranding of low testosterone as a prevalent issue among young, fitness-focused men, tied to the cultural idealization of exaggerated muscular physiques. Thirdly, testosterone therapy is promoted within a broader discourse of self-optimization, emphasizing gym performance and physical enhancement as markers of success. Lastly, these messages perpetuate a narrow, often toxic form of masculinity that stigmatizes femininity and centers dominance as the pinnacle of manhood.
The research emphasizes that these themes are far from incidental; instead, they closely mirror discourses endemic to the manosphere. In this synthetic version of masculinity, hormone levels are weaponized as tangible proof of manhood, and testosterone becomes a symbolic tool for reclaiming power and status. This medicalization of gender identity simplifies complex sociocultural constructs into biological determinants, leading both to skewed self-perceptions among men and potentially harmful health behaviors. By framing hormone therapy as a gateway to confidence and success, social media content pushes narratives that can distort individual identity and wellbeing.
One particularly concerning aspect is the promotion of private clinics and direct-to-consumer testosterone products as superior alternatives to conventional healthcare. Social media influencers advocate rapid access to testing and treatment that bypasses traditional medical pathways, often neglecting thorough diagnostic evaluation or the long-term risks of hormone therapy. This approach not only sidesteps evidence-based medical practice but increases the likelihood of inappropriate treatment, engendering potential cardiovascular, reproductive, and mental health complications related to testosterone administration. Medical experts warn of the dangers inherent in treating physiological variations—often benign—with pharmaceutical solutions driven by marketing pressures rather than clinical need.
Historically understood as a condition predominantly affecting older men, low testosterone is now being rebranded as a widespread concern among younger males, especially those engaged in fitness culture. Social media posts leverage sexualized imagery, muscular transformations, and aspirational narratives that link testosterone levels directly to masculinity, strength, and sexual success. This creates a potent branding effect that merges personal identity with biochemical parameters, obscuring the reality that healthy men often exhibit significant natural variation in hormone levels without clinical implications. The normalization of routine testosterone testing and chronic hormone monitoring risks pathologizing normal bodily fluctuations.
The wider implications of this research point toward a troubling medicalization of masculinity. When normal variations in mood, energy, and libido are reinterpreted as evidence of hormonal deficiency, it diminishes the nuance required to address men’s health authentically. Mass screening for testosterone deficiency is not medically recommended without clear symptoms, yet the marketed messages ride on fear and shame to drive demand for testing and therapy. The potential adverse effects of testosterone therapy—ranging from increased cardiovascular risk, reduced fertility, changes in kidney function, to psychological impacts—underscore the critical need for cautious, evidence-based treatment protocols rather than emotionally charged social media endorsements.
Co-author Dr. Ray Moynihan, senior fellow at the University of Sydney’s School of Public Health, points out that the manosphere’s distorted presentations of masculinity degrade opportunities for meaningful interpersonal connections among men and boys. He labels these narratives as misleading and harmful, fostering fear, distrust in mainstream healthcare, and a fragile, hypermasculine identity. The convergence of medical misinformation with cultural crises around gender identity presents a complex challenge for public health practitioners who must navigate both clinical guidelines and the social context shaping men’s health choices today.
Dr. Nickel concludes with a crucial point regarding the intersection of social media influence and medical decision-making: marketing testosterone as a lifestyle enhancer rather than a strictly medical treatment risks doing more harm than good. When medical interventions are framed as shortcuts to confidence, success, and status, they undermine the importance of holistic health approaches and risk promoting unnecessary treatments. This study acts as a vital call to action to scrutinize the role of influencer content in shaping young men’s health behaviors and to promote evidence-based, ethical medical communication practices in the digital age.
Subject of Research: People
Article Title: Selling masculinity – A qualitative analysis of gender representations in social media content about “low T”
News Publication Date: 27-Jan-2026
Web References: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2025.118903
References: Published in Social Science & Medicine
Keywords: Testosterone testing, hormone therapy, social media influencers, manosphere, masculinity, health misinformation, men’s health, medicalization, hormone deficiency, overdiagnosis, overtreatment, public health
