Jamal Jordan: “Black, Queers on the Internet, a Love Story”

Talk Summary and Resources by Alex Turvy

Talk Summary:
Author of Queer Love in Color Jamal Jordan talks about his experience talking to queer people of color in love and explores their use of social media to meet core social needs and identity-building.

Talk Notes and Related Resources:

• IRL

  • “people "...[use] virtual space to meet our foundational needs for meaning, belonging, and a sense of realness/wholeness/personhood"”

• For Better or for Worse? A Systematic Review of the Evidence on Social Media Use and Depression Among Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Minorities

  • Using social media may be both a protective and a risk factor for depression among LGB individuals. Support gained via social media may buffer the impact of geographic isolation and loneliness. Negative experiences such as cyberbullying and other patterns of use may be associated with depression. Future research would benefit from more consistent definitions of both social media use and study populations

• Preventing Bullying Through Science, Policy, and Practice

  • 73% of queer youth report being more honest about their identity online than off

• Can Social Media Participation Enhance LGBTQ+ Youth Well-Being? Development of the Social Media Benefits Scale

  • A four-factor solution emerged that measures participants’ use of social media for: 

    • (1) emotional support and development, (2) general educational purposes, (3) entertainment, and (4) acquiring LGBTQ+-specific information.

    • Younger adolescents were generally more likely to use social media for beneficial factors than older youth