Several factors contribute to the significance of queerness in social media. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) persons now have a platform to communicate with one another and build supportive groups thanks to social media. LGBTQ people have been historically disenfranchised and mistreated, but social media has provided them with a platform to express themselves and find acceptance in ways that were before impossible (Nadal et al., 2021). Several studies indicate that the topic of sexuality may be safely investigated and conveyed through the new medium — social media — due to its favorable attributes.
Queerness has significantly shaped the culture of social media. LGBTQ individuals have been at the forefront of forming new online communities and inventing new means of expression that have affected the social media culture at large. This has resulted in a more inclusive and diversified social media ecosystem that represents a larger spectrum of human experiences and points of view. In addition, social media has created a platform for LGBTQ persons to campaign for their rights and bring attention to community-wide concerns (Schudson & van Anders, 2019). With the use of hashtags, internet campaigns, and viral material, LGBTQ people have been able to magnify their voices and effect global change (Sharma, 2020). Through social media, queerness has also challenged established gender and sexuality standards (Robinson, 2022). By extending the notions of gender and sexuality, queer persons have disturbed the binary thinking that often defines social media. This has opened up dialogue and made room for a wider variety of identities and experiences on such platforms as Tumblr and Twitter.
As a social media platform, Tumblr is crucial for queerness since it has become a standard-bearer for the queer community. Because of its genesis narrative and design, which stress self-expression and permissiveness, Tumblr attracts LGBT adolescents (Cavalcante, 2018). Tumblr, unlike Facebook, does not need a real name, allowing for many identities. The architecture of Tumblr enables for multimedia self-expression, enabling young Gay users to combine visual art, bits of popular culture, poetry, and more to create an evolving identity (Cavalcante, 2018). Tumblr offers a variety of LGBTQ identities, highlighting the multifaceted aspect of queerness and celebrating diversity. Tumblr’s reblog function is particularly valuable for young LGBTQ individuals who may not feel comfortable expressing themselves via original material and who may thus reblog and share the postings of others (Cavalcante, 2018). It can be concluded that Tumblr provides a suitable environment for the organization of safe and accepting community platforms for members of LGBTQ.
Twitter’s relevance for the LGBTQ community, especially in Nigeria, where traditional norms restrict LGBTQ self-expression has become essential. Twitter provides queer individuals with a venue to establish their identities and participate in out-group advocacy (Onanuga, 2020). Twitter allows them to interact with others who share their experiences, form communities based on similar beliefs, and overcome physical obstacles (Onanuga, 2020). By using terms such as gay, homo, and queer in their Twitter identities and names, Nigerian queers advertise their sexuality and claim sovereignty over their accounts (Onanuga, 2020). In a hostile Nigerian setting, they employ suggestive graphics to signify their sexual orientation, therefore providing an online space for queer autonomy (Onanuga, 2020). Twitter is a great instrument for queer empowerment because it allows queer persons to question current normative sexuality frameworks, promote public activism, and interact with others in their community.
In a way, pictures and messages exchanged on social media have cultural and ideological connotations. Hence, the portrayal of LGBTQ identities on social media is a question of politics and power. Representations of queer identities in images and writings may either challenge or support prevailing ideas and social institutions. Photographs and their accompanying messages are ideologically charged and, as a result, have become entrenched in the war for visibility against heteronormativity in the social media arena (Onanuga, 2022). Thus, a new foundation is created for the continuation of the global discourse on sexuality.
Reference List
Cavalcante, A. (2018) ‘Tumbling into queer utopias and Vortexes: Experiences of LGBTQ social media users on Tumblr,’ Journal of Homosexuality, 66(12), pp. 1715–1735. Web.
Nadal, K. L. et al. (2021) ‘The legacies of systemic and internalized oppression: Experiences of microaggressions, imposter phenomenon, and stereotype threat on historically marginalized groups,’ New Ideas in Psychology, 63, p. 100895. Web.
Onanuga, A. P. (2020) ‘Coming out and reaching out: Linguistic advocacy on queer Nigerian twitter,’ Journal of African Cultural Studies, 33(4), pp. 489–504. Web.
Onanuga, A. P. (2022) ‘Weaponising Digital Architecture: Queer Nigerian Instagram users and digital visual activism,’ LGBT Communities.
Robinson, B. A. (2022) ‘Non-binary embodiment, queer knowledge production, and disrupting the cisnormative field: Notes from a trans ethnographer,’ The Journal of Men’s Studies, 30(3), pp. 425–445.
Schudson, Z. and van Anders, S. (2019) ‘‘You have to coin new things’: Sexual and gender identity discourses in asexual, queer, and/or trans young people’s networked counterpublics,’ Psychology & Sexuality, 10(4), pp. 354–368. Web.
Sharma, D. (2020) ‘Representing pride through hashtags,’ Feminist Media Studies, 21(1), pp. 162–164. Web.