Self-Disclosure of Loneliness by LGBTQ+ Twitter Users During COVID-19

ABSTRACT

Mental health in LGBTQ+ community is often challenged by stigma, prejudice, and discrimination. The “social distancing” public health measures during COVID-19 epidemic have exacerbated the trend. During the pandemic, many took to social media as an outlet for sharing their feelings and in search of connection. Social media may help alleviate loneliness—an increasingly prevalent condition associated with both physical and mental health issues. In this study, we examine 147,736 Twitter posts mentioning loneliness by users who self-identify as part of the LGBTQ+ community, posted before and during the COVID-19 lockdowns. We find that, compared to the year before COVID-19, these users posted 67% more loneliness self-disclosures during the first year of COVID-19. Examining the emotional content of these tweets, we find frequent references to depression, dysphoria, and suicidal ideation. During COVID-19, the users mentioned more “pain” and “numbness” in association with the lack of social and physical contact. However, many found Twitter to be a safe space to express these feelings. The replies to these disclosures were rare: only about 29% received one. Using a large dataset of self-disclosures, we reveal quantitatively and qualitatively the disclosure around loneliness by LGBTQ+ users at an unprecedented time of social isolation.

KEYWORDS:

• Loneliness
• mental health
• COVID-19
• LGBTQ+
• social media
• self-disclosure
• computer-mediated communication

Disclosure statement

The authors declare that they have no known conflict of interest.

Supplementary data

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed online at https://doi.org/10.1080/00918369.2023.2263801.

Notes

1. https://developer.twitter.com/en/docs.

2. https://developer.twitter.com/en/docs.

3. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=ai.replika.app&hl=en&gl=US.

4. https://help.twitter.com/en/rules-and-policies/intimate-media.

5. https://www.hhs.gov/ohrp/international/ethical-codes-and-research-standards/index.html.

Additional information

Funding

The author(s) reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.