“Sometimes You Get Married on Facebook”: The Use of Social Media Among Nonmetropolitan Sexual and Gender Minority Youth

ABSTRACT

Sexual and gender minority (SGM) youth experience risks due to their stigmatized SGM identities; however, supportive resources and people can mitigate these risks. In nonmetropolitan areas, SGM-affirming support may not be readily available. The internet and social media may be a way for SGM youth to access support and resources pertaining to their SGM identities, yet little research has been conducted in this area. This qualitative, exploratory study utilized in-depth interviews (N = 34) with nonmetropolitan SGM youth in one Midwestern state to better understand how they utilized the internet and social media related to their SGM identities. Grounded theory analysis revealed three categories of social media and internet usage among participants. Participants utilized the internet to establish a sense of community (access others, form relationships), express themselves (come out, vent), and access resources and information. These findings suggest important implications for practice and research.

KEYWORDS:

• LGBTQ
• social media
• internet
• rural
• nonmetropolitan

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank H. Denise Arizpe and Amanda Hwu for their early assistance with data collection and analysis. We also thank the youth participants for their time and sharing their experiences with us.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by: The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Graduate College and The Williams Institute