Effects of Online Friendships on Safer Sex Communication and Behavior among Black Sexual Minority Men: A Study of Network Exposure

ABSTRACT

This study draws on social normative and social learning theories to examine the masspersonal safer sex communication (i.e., Facebook posts about safer sex) and safer sex behavior (i.e., condom use) in a cohort of Black sexual minority men (BSMM) (N = 340), with an eye toward understanding their relationship with the safer sex communication and behaviors of their BSMM Facebook friends. Using linear network autocorrelation regression models, results showed that BSMM’s safer sex communication and condom use behavior were each associated with the communication and behavior of their online peers. Specifically, BSMM’s condom use was positively associated with their friends’ condom use and friends’ safer sex communication, and BSMMs’ safer sex communication was positively associated with friends’ safer sex communication. Moreover, contrary to prior research, BSSM’s safer sex communication and condom use were not related to one another, suggesting that talking about safer sex on social media should not be interpreted to be an indication of engageDment in safer sex behavior. These findings underscore an opportunity to leverage peer influence in social media networks, particularly in the form of masspersonal communication, to encourage cascades of safer sex messaging among peers and adoption of safer sex behavior.

Acknowledgements

The author would like to thank Dr John Schneider, PI on the parent study grant (R01AI20700), for his ongoing support. She would also like to thank participants of the study and, more broadly, the BSMM community in Chicago. As a White cisgender heterosexual woman, the author’s relationships with members of this community are critical for helping her understand and appreciate their social contexts and circumstances.

Disclosure statement

The author declares that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could appear to influence the work reported in this paper.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development [R00HD094648]. Parent study data collection was supported by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases [R01AI20700].