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

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Authors

Mkhize, Simangele
Nunlall, Reema
Gopal, Nirmala

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Publisher

Routledge

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.

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Keywords

Cyber-violence, Cyberbullying, Facebook, Homosexuality, Heterosexuality, Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and other sexualities’ (LGBT+)

Sustainable Development Goals

Citation

Simangele Mkhize, Reema Nunlall & Nirmala Gopal (2020) An examination of social media as a platform for cyber-violence against the LGBT+ population, Agenda, 34:1, 23-33, DOI: 10.1080/10130950.2019.1704485.