Trump's victory: a media minefield to follow

Trump's second victory has, to put things lightly, certainly shaken things up.

And not just in politics…

Since the former president’s re-election, the price of Bitcoin reached a record high of $82,000.

Elon Musk is expected to be appointed Secretary of Cost-Cutting (whatever that means).

Oh, and the internet has exploded with violent misogyny, cracking the media landscape wide open.

Welcome to the age of distrust and disruption, where traditional media and big budgets no longer cut it.

Where news no longer sways the masses.

And where the heterodoxy feels emboldened in sexist (and scary) rhetoric.

Are we entering dystopia? Potentially.

Do we still have to do our jobs? Highly likely.

So – here’s how to navigate a new era, while still being a bloody good marketer.

'Your body, my choice. Forever,' Nick Fuentes, far-right political pundit and live streamer posted to X following the news of Trump's victory. The tweet has since gotten 90 million views.

In the 24 hours following, there was a 4,600% increase in mentions of the terms 'your body, my choice,' and 'get back in the kitchen' on X.

On TikTok, female users are reporting that accounts are commenting 'your body, my choice' en masse on their posts. One TikTok creator stated: 'I had to delete a video because I was being threatened by several men.'

On Facebook, the phrase 'your body, my choice' began trending, with 52,000 posts in those same 24 hours.

One parent of a university student recalled: 'Today my daughter was told three separate times on campus "your body, MY choice." One group of boys told her to "sleep with one eye open tonight."'

Posts calling for the repeal of the 19th Amendment, which gives women the right to vote, also surged 663% on X last week, compared to the prior week, the ISD reported.

It feels like this is only the beginning of a darker turn in the manosphere audience.

I wrote recently about Heterodoxy, and the cultural power of the ‘anti-woke tech bro.’

When I said the market had influence, and an 'unfiltered kind of authenticity that’s tough to replicate' I did not for a second think such influence would be used to terrorise women online at the very first chance they got.

But misogyny has resurfaced with a vengeance over the last week. And the loudest voices aren’t in the fringe, 4chan-esque forums and chatrooms any longer – they’re mainstreaming.

This goes beyond usual internet noise, beyond edgy trolling. Creators like Fuentes and Tate are riding the shockwaves of a post-truth world, rallying an audience that’s loud, angry and growing fast.

The media landscape as we know it? Fracturing.

Traditional outlets, the ones that still cling to values like accountability or civility, are losing sway. And into this vacuum slips a new breed of influencer—angrier, edgier, and very much out for blood.

These themes have always been there, simmering under the surface.

But now, we’re not dealing with edgy memes or fleeting trends; we’re seeing a cultural shift in full swing.

The appeal of creators like Fuentes and Tate isn’t just in the shock value. They’re giving an angry, often disillusioned audience a place to belong.

A tribe where their grievances are validated. A place where pointing fingers at women is not only accepted but encouraged.

While mainstream media scrambles to be 'neutral,' these manosphere figures give them the unfiltered 'truth' they want to hear. And their audiences eat it up.

It’s tribal, it’s cultish, and it’s profitable, creating an army that sees women not as equals, but as enemies.

So how does this shift the media and content landscape?

These ideologies no longer exist solely within a dark corner of the internet. They’ve been creeping out for some time, yes. But now they’re fully carving out space in mainstream media.

The new content formula? Outrage + accessibility + a veneer of authenticity. That’s why platforms like X, Twitch, and YouTube are flourishing for these voices, even while traditional outlets flounder.

The 'everything’s fair game' philosophy isn’t just a trend—it’s a cash cow for platforms whose profits grow with every swipe and click.

For those platforms, this is a goldmine disguised as 'free speech.'

Letting hate speech fester, or only lightly slapping it down, doesn’t just drive engagement—it gives the audience exactly what they crave: content that feels subversive, 'banned,' even if it’s really algorithm-endorsed.

And as these platforms profit, women pay the price, navigating an increasingly hostile online world where simply having a presence can make them a target.

For a huge swath of viewers, this unfiltered, even combative, approach feels like 'real' news.

Traditional media can’t match it without breaking their own mould. And that leaves them sounding—to this audience at least—like mouthpieces for the establishment.

Even worse, traditional media outlets risk alienating the more moderate end of their base if they go too far trying to mimic these approaches.

It’s a Catch-22. And so far, the platforms and personalities that embrace controversy, shock, and borderline hate are winning.

In this new world, it’s less about facts and more about what resonates.

The very platforms that once banned certain content as 'dangerous' are now embracing it as monetisable.

The result? A dizzying, relentless onslaught of content that panders to anger, especially toward women, and turns every issue into a battlefield. And for women online, it’s like stepping onto a minefield every day, knowing one wrong word could set off a barrage of hate.

So where does this leave brands? Teetering on a very fine line, to say the least.

Today’s marketers are facing an uncomfortable reality: staying relevant means meeting audiences where they are. But how do you tap into the channels that dominate the manosphere (or at least overlap with it) without getting dragged into its uglier dynamics?

To put it bluntly, brands that don’t want to be left in the dust have a choice—engage with these edgy platforms and run the risk of aligning, however unintentionally, with the hate they allow.

Or stay out of it and potentially lose access to a large demographic that’s shifting its media consumption there.

The brands that succeed will be the ones that can read the room and adjust their approach.

They'll tailor content that acknowledges the conversation without compromising their integrity or principles.

Obviously, this is easier said than done.

One route is what some might call 'stealth marketing'—finding ways to position products within these spaces without making explicit statements.

Another is to double down on values, creating content that directly addresses issues like misogyny or social justice but without over-polishing it to death.

This audience can sniff out inauthenticity in a heartbeat.

So brands that bring too much corporate sheen will get laughed out of the room.

The solution? An approach that’s conversational, relatable, and feels as raw as the content around it.

In the past, brands could survive by riding the fence, playing it safe with messages that were just vague enough to appeal to everyone.

Those days are likely gone.

Audiences now want to know where a brand stands—especially in spaces where ideological battles are playing out in real time.

Brands need to be bold in claiming their space without catering to the toxic parts of the manosphere. And if they don’t? They risk getting called out by their competitors who are more than willing to take that stand.

It’s time to armour up.

We’re witnessing a shift where outrage, hate, and divisive content are increasingly profitable.

But there’s an opportunity for brands willing to be clever, intentional, and fearless.

-Sophie, Writer