After reading chapter 3 from Dustin Kidd’s book, Social Media Freaks, I found it interesting how popular the use of social media was for queer individuals, considering that there can be so much hate directed towards homosexuals online. An ADL (Anti-Defamation League) survey even showed that the LGBT community make up for 63% of the total people that were targeted for online harassment because of their identity. After reading this statistic, I would have assumed that queer individuals would mainly refrain from having as much of an online presence to try to avoid the unjust hate that is directed towards people associating with that sexuality, but in fact, this seems to not be the case.

I have come to realise that social media, even with the negativity that can appear, allows a platform for people to connect and open up discussion about their sexuality. For homosexual people, who may not know any others around them, can use social media and other online tools to find others who associate with the same sexuality, and therefore feel less alone in doing so. Kidd mentions at one point in the book that teens especially feel a big need to socialize, so if their family isn’t necessarily supportive of their sexual orientation, it can allow for people ‘to reach for connections beyond the family’ and bond with others that are in the same situation.

An example of one way of connecting with others may be when teens reach out with ‘coming out’ posts and open up to the public about their sexuality. This is becoming increasingly more popular, most likely because people find it a lot easier and safer to say potentially controversial things when they are sitting behind a screen, and not actually having to open up to people face to face. This can also unfortunately be true for those voicing hate speech or homophobic content, as they feel more comfortable to attack LGTB members when they aren’t having to talk to them in person.  However, I do feel that the positives and the community that has been built for queer people have outweighed the hate they have received online, by allowing for homosexuality to enter a period of acceptance among society through everyone coming forward online.

Biography:

I am a freshman, currently studying at Longwood University. I was born in Auckland, New Zealand, but moved here for college to pursue my passion for lacrosse. I love the beach and anything in the outdoors. Coming from New Zealand, there is a lot to explore, so spending time outside, whether that be hiking or swimming in the ocean, has become something that I really enjoy. I have always been very active, which has led me to want a career in the exercise science field. Due to this, I am currently studying kinesiology, and wanting to go into post-graduate studies after to become a physical therapist, and help athletes overcome injuries and improve their performance.