LGBTQ communities have embraced social media for a number of reasons. However this has lead to the development of online and offline identities. This presentations build up to a research question looking at the disparity between online and offline identities.

1. LGBTQ (GSD) Online
Sexual Minority Identity in the Online Space
Disclaimer:
Built on Western Views of Sexuality
Predominately Gay/Bi-Male/ MsM Focussed
Sexuality throughout is treated as constructive not
essentialist
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2. Self Identity and
Modernity
• Self Identity is reflexive
• Pre Modernity identity was given
• Ego Centric World View Point
• Identity is the ability to maintain a narrative
1. Hermannsdóttir, M. B. Self-Identity in Modernity.
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3. Shame and Guilt
Guilt is the fear is misbehaving
Shame is the anxiety about sufficiency of narrative
1. Hermannsdóttir, M. B. Self-Identity in Modernity.
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4. High-level Questions
“Who Am I?”
“How Should I live?”
“Where did I come from?”
“Where am I going?”
1. Hermannsdóttir, M. B. Self-Identity in Modernity.
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5. SIT (Social Identify
Theory)
• Social Categorization
• Social Comparison
• Social Identity
• Self Esteem
1. Trepte, S. Social identity theory. Psychology of entertainment 255–271 (2006).
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6. http://www.age-of-the-sage.org/psychology/social/Tajfel's_Theory_of_Social_Identity.jpg
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7. Cyber Studies
• Community
• Community Building
• Community Development
• Identity
• Development and Management of
Identities
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8. Cyber Queer
“The “cybersubject” appeared to be the
ultimate manifestation of queer theory, as it
was seen to transcend the physical world in a
parallel space, where it freely and flexibly
could pick and choose who to be.”
1. Tudor, M. Cyberqueer Techno-practices: Digital Space-Making and Networking among Swedish gay
men. (2012).
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9. “All the World, in feminist and Queery
Theory, it would seem, is no longer a
stage, but a screen.”
(Sue-Ellen Case 1995)
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10. “Gay youth use the web like no other
subset of the population. ... What exists
today was completely unheard-of even 10
years ago”
(cited in Alexander, 2004)
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11. Audience Identity
Information
1. Woodland, R. ‘I plan to be a 10’: Online literacy and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender students.
Computers and Composition 16, 73–87 (1999).
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12. Cyberspace
News Groups
Message Boards AOL Created First
Chat Rooms MUD / Lamda MOO
Web Sites / Social Networks
1. Woodland, R. ‘I plan to be a 10’: Online literacy and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender students.
Computers and Composition 16, 73–87 (1999).
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13. Youth Narrative
• Inclusive Space, Social Space, Health
Information, Support Groups.
• Hyper personal Interactions (Walther,
1996)
• Not primarily going online for dates, sex, or
pornography.
1. Paradis, E. Searching for Self and Society: LGBT Youth Online.
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14. Representation Online
• Allows for an increased self narrative
• Hyper Masculine Constructions
(Gaydar.com)
• Identities built on deception
1. Tudor, M. Cyberqueer Techno-practices: Digital Space-Making and Networking among Swedish gay
men. (2012).
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15. Playing with Gender
• Stage case of the electronic lover
• 58% / 60% Gender Swap
• “It enables me to play around with aspects
of my character that are not normally easy
to experiment with.”
1. Hussain, Z. & Griffiths, M. D. Gender Swapping and Socializing in Cyberspace: An Exploratory Study.
CyberPsychology & Behavior 11, 47–53 (2008).
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16. Offline Identity Construction
Sex
Body
Mind
Gender
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17. Online Identity Construction
Gender
Sex
Body
Mind
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18. Safety and Risk Online
• Identity Safety
• False Names
• Defensive nature of information
• Physical Safety
• Perceived meeting risk
• Physical Risk
1. Tudor, M. Cyberqueer Techno-practices: Digital Space-Making and Networking among Swedish gay
men. (2012).
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19. Bridging the Online and Offline (People
Near By Applications)
• Online interactions to an offline interaction
• High-gain High-risk interactions
• Social Embarrassment
• Emotional Harm
• Physical Risk
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20. Research Question
Do near people applications allow for
youths to interact offline, or is it
driving people further online.
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21. Thank You
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