An examination of social media as a platform for cyber-violence against the LGBT+ population

Abstract

The popularity of social media raises concerns related to cyber-violence and the security of marginalised individuals and groups, including the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT+) population. Developing worthy interventions requires exploration of the LGBT+ population's experiences of cyber-violence in relation to gender discrimination, which was the aim of this study. A qualitative approach sourced data between 2017 and 2019 from LGBT+ Facebook groups and pages and semi-structured interviews with participants who identified themselves as among the LGBT+ population. Keywords such as LGBT+, homosexuals, and isiZulu terms such as 'izitabane' and 'inkonkoni' were used to search for content. It was found that Facebook is used as a platform by heterosexuals to make violent and hateful comments against the LBGT+ population. Comments displayed to the public (including, for example, "gays are dogs, they can never transform to being women") reflected heteronormative behaviour. A significant finding was the infiltration of heterosexual individuals into the space created by the LGBT+ population, suggesting an increased risk of cyber-violence, and that the right to privacy and security is often compromised. Addressing cyberbullying of the LGBT+ population through education on gender diversity is recommended.

Cyberbullying Perpetration: Children and Youth at Risk of Victimization during Covid-19 Lockdown

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Effects of Online Heterosexist Experiences on Physical and Mental Health in Sexual Minorities: An Examination of the Cognitive and Affective Mechanisms

“…A recent study by Mkhize et al (2020) probed into the cyber violence experienced by sexual minority individuals on Facebook and found that they were frequently exposed to heterosexist memes, pictures, and written comments on personal timelines and public pages. The comments showing hatred toward homosexuality were also posted through creating fake accounts and getting into lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) groups, insulting and threatening the members in the group (Mkhize et al, 2020). This type of cyber violence infiltrates the space created for LGBTQ individuals, and possibly increases their exposure to online victimization.…”

The management of LGBTQ+ identities on social media: A student perspective

“…This does not negate the fact that social media spaces can be hostile towards LGBTQ+ people. LGBTQ+ people report experiencing online hate-speech, trolling, harassment and threats of sexual and physical violence (Mkhize et al, 2020; Scheuerman et al, 2018). Consequently, many LGBTQ+ people carefully manage their performances of gender and sexuality on social media (Hanckel et al, 2019).…”