Can Social Media Participation Enhance LGBTQ+ Youth Well-Being? Development of the Social Media Benefits Scale
Craig, S. L., Eaton, A. D., McInroy, L. B., Leung, V. W., & Krishnan, S. (2021). Can Social Media Participation Enhance LGBTQ+ Youth Well-Being? Development of the Social Media Benefits Scale. Social Media + Society, 7(1), 2056305121988931. https://doi.org/10.1177/2056305121988931
Highlights
Background
Social media offers critical opportunities for lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer, and other sexual and/or gender minority (LGBTQ+) youth to enhance well-being through exploring their identities, accessing resources, and connecting with peers
Yet measures of youth social media use disproportionately focus on the detrimental impacts of online participation, such as overuse and cyberbullying
Study Description
This study developed a Social Media Benefits Scale (SMBS) through an online survey with a diverse sample (n = 6,178) of LGBTQ+ youth aged 14–29
Over 75% of the sample endorsed non-monosexual and/or and gender fluid identities (e.g., gender non-conforming, non-binary, pansexual, bisexual)
Participants specified their 5 most used social media sites, and whether they derived any of 17 beneficial items (e.g., feeling connected, gaining information)
Key Findings
LGBTQ+ youth gain multidimensional benefits from social media use (i.e., emotional support and development; general education; entertainment; identity-specific information)
LGBTQ+ youth use different types of online platforms: (1) social networking and messaging, (2) content production and sharing, (3) content consumption
The scale suggests positive impacts if SMBS scores are high, and potentially negative or null impacts if SMBS scores are low
The SMBS has potential as a clinical tool to assess the impact of social media on the well-being of an individual LGBTQ+ youth, as well as their motivations for use
