Disorderly masculinity: dominance, slackerism and camaraderie in "Surprise"

Abstract

The current study adds to field of communication studies by examining male roles in a popular video game commercial. It asserts through textual analysis that the brief advertisement conjures up several salient masculinities that demonstrate a greater conflict, uncertainty and need for negotiation within the media. Context is provided to assist in the comprehension of this fractured masculinity. The first section of analysis explores the traditional dominant masculinity conveyed. The second examines the presentation of men as slackers. The third segment discusses the ways in which camaraderie emerges as a strategy to incite male solidarity. Together, these serve to bring about a new sort of disorderly masculinity in response to the various perceived challenges facing men in the 21st century. The ad ultimately exacerbates the crisis it claims to mitigate with such mixed male representations.