While the consequences and benefits of social media’s influence continue to be called into question in our technologically driven society, we do know that it has been able serve as haven for people of sexual minority who, otherwise, would not have been able to connect offline. These online spaces allow for the experience of sexual minority to be shared across both geography and culture, creating forums for friendship, solidarity, and support. This first-of-its-kind study consists of focus groups comprised of sexual minority gender expansive college women who discussed their use of social media, and how it may intersect with their choice to consume alcohol. The timing of the study also allowed for researchers to collect information concerning how the behaviors and perceptions of the participants (a group already at higher risk for mental health challenges) changed during the advent of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Participants were recruited from a large university in California, with the final sample containing 28 individuals (n=28, mean age = 21.39). 25 of the participants identified as women, while the remainder identified as non-binary or non-binary/woman. With regard to sexual orientation, 20 identified as bisexual, and the other 8 participants represented queer, lesbian, and/or pansexual orientations. 5 different races or ethnicities were represented in the sample. Over the first half of 2020, six focus groups occurred which involved participants brainstorming and finalizing specific themes that they experienced collectively as they related to social media and alcohol consumption. Two of these focus groups took place before the COVID-19 lockdown procedures were ordered, and the remaining four were split between the 1-month and 3-month marks following the stay-at-home orders. Analysis of the information gathered from the focus groups was performed using an image-based technique called concept mapping.
Results of the concept mapping analysis found that the participants frequently used social media, and that they considered sexual orientation safety to be a highly prioritized concern. Participants often mentioned their lack of posting on platforms which their families use and conversely posting more on platforms in which they do not maintain familial connections. Pre-pandemic themes presented included SGM social norms education and support. As the COVID-19 pandemic continued to grow, the focus groups saw in increase in drinking behavior that was mediated by social media in manners such as games and challenges. The participants reported that this phenomenon was due to a combination of pandemic-borne factors like boredom, loneliness, coping, stress, etc.
Takeaway: the sexual minority community continues to face challenges regarding its members health and support levels. While the community’s reliance upon social media has not drastically changed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it has been reported by members that the mental health and coping strategies of sexual minority individuals have been negatively affected to a significant extent by the pandemic.
Cerezo A, Ramirez A, O’Shaughnessy T, Sanchez A, Mattis S, Ross A. Understanding the Power of Social Media during COVID-19: Forming Social Norms for Drinking among Sexual Minority Gender Expansive College Women. Journal of Homosexuality. 2021;0(0):1-17. doi:10.1080/00918369.2020.1868183