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The Management of LGBTQ+ Identities on Social Media: A Student Perspective.

Talbot, C. V., Talbot, A., Roe, D. J. and Briggs, P., 2020. The Management of LGBTQ+ Identities on Social Media: A Student Perspective. New Media and Society, 24 (8), 1729-1750.

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DOI: 10.1177/1461444820981009

Abstract

Social media can be used to both enhance and diminish students’ experiences of university and its influence is strong for LGBTQ+ people facing stigma and discrimination. Students may feel exposed when identifying as LGBTQ+, particularly whilst transitioning to university life. In this study, we used theories of performance and digital personhood to explore how LGBTQ+ students use social media for identity management. We report a thematic analysis of 16 interviews. Four themes were generated from the data, showing that students use social media to explore, conceal, protect, and express their identities. We found that different social media provide stages where LGBTQ+ identities are constrained by different and distinctive social factors. Thus, LGBTQ+ students’ online identities are multiple, situated, and bound to specific platforms, with some alternatives to Facebook offering a space where students may feel more comfortable performing their authentic selves.

Item Type:Article
ISSN:1461-4448
Uncontrolled Keywords:Gender ; Sexuality ; Higher Education ; Identity ; Disclosure ; Performance ; Life transitions
Group:Faculty of Science & Technology
ID Code:34879
Deposited By: Symplectic RT2
Deposited On:25 Nov 2020 11:56
Last Modified:25 Jan 2023 11:47

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