Abstract: This paper aims to demonstrate how young people are negating the heteronormative social pressures of the dominate public through the creation of online counter-publics that allow them to form, express, and legitimize their LGBTQ identities within a supportive online community. Utilizing social media these counter-publics, which reach beyond physical and social confines, allow individuals to center their personal experiences amongst broader communities, strengthening their influence and prompting social change 
 

Often marginalized groups such as those belonging to the LGBTQ community exist distinctly outside of the dominant public sphere (Renninger, 2014). These groups stand in opposition to social norms and expectations and therefore face difficulties in finding spaces that serve to create subcultural exchange and affirmation (Cavalcante, 2018). In order to create these positive community spaces whilst experiencing marginalization and sometimes social exclusion (Hiebert & Kortes-Miller, 2021), many LGBTQ identifying individuals have turned to online platforms (MacKinnon et al.,2021). As such, social networking sites such as Tiktok have become a space for LGBTQ youth to ‘gather’ and form counter-publics that work to legitimize and support LGBTQ identities. This paper will examine the vital opportunities platforms such as Tiktok provide for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer individuals to connect with others, where LGBTQ identities can be formed, expressed and supported, and where social norms and values can be challenged in a way that contributes to social change (Renninger, 2014) 

For LGBTQ youth the social pressures experienced within a heteronormative society often limits their ability to explore, form, and express their identities in an offline space. The identity expression of young people is regularly constrained by their peers and elders in a society where heterosexuality is framed as the norm. Therefore, the formation of online counter-publics creates a space for those that lie outside of the spectrum of socially dictated norms to “map their own ideologies, thoughts, and subjectivities among people, mostly strangers, that share an awareness of similar countercultural referents” (Renninger, 2014, p.1526). This leads to participants on these social networking sites often feeling less pressure to hide behaviors that may contradict social norms, such as those relating to their sexuality and/or gender identity. As such these platforms have been described as ‘backstages’ by some scholars. A term coined by sociologist Ervin Goffman (1963), these are settings in which individuals feel more comfortable letting their guard down in order to expose more of their true selves whilst rehearsing for future ‘front stage’ interactions (Cole, 2019). This framing has been contested by other scholars however, with academics such as Papacharissi (2010) arguing that whilst social media platforms provide individuals with a selection of tools that allow them craft a more creative expression of identity, this often leads them to them exercising an even greater control over the distance between what is performed and what is authentic. However, regardless of whether or not the performances of identity seen on social media platforms should be considered authentic, the affordances of social networking sites undoubtedly enhance the user’s ability to connect with a wide variety of people that have shared experiences (Hiebert & Kortes-Miller, 2021), leading to relationships that are strengthened through the demonstration of empathy and support (Parks, 2010). These relationships further work to legitimize and support the identities of the platform’s users.  

Members of the LGBTQ community have the opportunity to utilize social networking features such as hashtags to reach beyond their physical and social confines as marginalized individuals and to create affinity spaces. In 2017 Jackson et al. demonstrated, through the exploration of GirlsLikeUs hashtag on the social networking site Twitter, how and why transgender women have been drawn to the platform to create connections with others in the trans community, to advocate for trans issues and rights, to normalize trans identities, and to celebrate the achievements of trans women (Jackson et al., 2017). Their exploration found that the trans women participating in discourse through the GirlsLikeUs hashtag had created a counter-public environment that not only provides an avenue for intra community support but that also centers and normalizes trans voices through the utilization of Twitter’s technological affordances. This discourse was not only made accessible to transwomen but to a broad audience of users existing outside of the trans community (Jackson et al., 2017), through other hashtags and mentions. Within these affinity spaces those with shared identities may learn from, celebrate, and support each other, whilst centralizing their personal experiences amongst a broader community in order to create social change (Boffone & Jerasa, 2021). 

More recently this experience has become evident on the social media platform Tiktok, a video focused social media platform that is distinguished by its powerful algorithm and For You pages (MacKinnon et al.,2021) which prioritize personalization. The platform grants its users with a highly curated experience that lends itself greatly to the exploration of self, the sharing of knowledge, and the formation of community (Craig et al., 2021). These affordances allow for both content creators and their audiences to gather and engage with processes of identity construction in a way that both strengthens Tiktok’s LGBTQ community from within, whilst encouraging users to continue engaging with the intimate and personal processes of self-representation and identity formation (Barassi, 2018). Tiktok’s notably strong algorithm provides its users with the ability to rapidly immerse themselves in virtual communities (Hiebert & Kortes-Miller, 2021). Along with other valuable tools similar to those found on Twitter that help users turn these communities into civil spaces (Jenzen, 2017) that transcend distance and act as informal learning environments for other young individuals as they negotiate their own identities. These spaces, created outside of the conflictual and confining environments that are often experienced by LGBTQ youth within the dominant public (Renninger, 2014), allow for collaborative knowledge co-production that leads towards the de-stigmatization and legitimization of LGBTQ identities. Utilizing platform features such as hashtags, duet and stitches to disseminate content not only through the community itself but to a large global audience (MacKinnon et al.,2021). This large network creates access to resources that aim to support and educate on LGBTQ identities that are not typically found in the institutional spaces young people occupy (Boffone & Jerasa, 2021), and as such help to enact social change through citizen democratization (Vizcaíno‐Verdú & Aguaded, 2022).  

One example of an LGBTQ community that has risen from the platform is Queer Booktok. A fraction of the online reading community known as Booktok where LGBTQ identifying individuals have come together, connected through the algorithm and other platform affordances such as hashtags, to discuss and connect over books that reflect their identities. These digital affordances have allowed for the creation of a space where LGBTQ identities are not only legitimized through creative expression and community discussion, but where the experiences of LGBTQ users are centralized within a greater community of book lovers (Boffone & Jerasa, 2021). This has presented young people who may be questioning their own identity with the opportunity to imagine who they could be without the social pressures they may be experiencing offline (Patton & Simmons, 2008). With even the most passive users, such as those only partaking through observing and liking videos, this provides a feeling of connection and belonging to a larger community (Boffone & Jerasa, 2021). The support found across the community encourages all engaged to share their own experiences in a way that works to combat the negative sentiments regarding LGBTQ identities that are present within other dominant publics (Chawansky, 2016), influencing the way in which LGBTQ individuals are regarded in the wider society. This is demonstrated by Boffone and Jerasa (2021) who explored how the affinity space of Queer Booktok has created a safe space, situated within the young adult literary subculture, for young adults to engage with LGBTQ centered texts that are often excluded from schooling environments (Boffone & Jerasa, 2021). Thus, Queer Booktok is creating a counter-public in which users are able to participate in ‘everyday activism’ (Vivienne & Burgess, 2012), influencing social change through digital storytelling and online discussion in a way that legitimizes, supports, and normalizes the LGBTQ identities of young people (Barassi, 2018). 

When LGBTQ identifying or questioning individuals are experiencing social isolation these communities appear to be particularly beneficial in supporting and legitimizing their identities. During the initial wave of the COVID-19 pandemic beginning in March 2020, many LGBTQ youths lost access to ‘safe spaces’ and other support networks due to lockdowns and studies show they increasingly turned to online platforms to gather and participate in mutual support. This is supported by Drabble and Eliason (2021), who found that those belonging to sexual minority populations were more likely to experience the negative mental health effects of social distancing compared to heterosexuals, as they are more likely to live alone without family support, and that the pandemic had likely increased the gap of mental health between LGBTQ and cisgender/heterosexual populations. As these social distancing measures and lockdowns were being introduced Tiktok became the most downloaded mobile application, in fact it has been reported that Tiktok received the most downloads of any app in a single yearly quarter ever (Hiebert & Kortes-Miller, 2021). During this time LGBTQ youth flocked to the app, creating networked publics to replicate the safe spaces they had lost access to. This carved out a space beyond their immediate location (Boyd, 2010) to connect with each other when their usual meeting places became inaccessible (Carey, 2020). Whilst interacting heavily with each other’s content in a way that forced their algorithms, they were able to create an ecosystem of content for and by LGBTQ people (Carey, 2020). This also provided a supportive environment during a time so many were facing isolation whilst simultaneously creating a flood of content that supported and legitimized LGBTQ identities.  

Social change such as the empowerment of the LGBTQ community is spawned from the kinds of collective and coordinated actions that are currently being witnessed on social media. With a collection of studies beginning to show the power of the collaborative effort of the community to improve their situation of disadvantage through counter-publics such as Queer Booktok and the #Girlslikeus movement. Within these communities individuals are employing the emancipatory affordances of platforms such as Tiktok and Twitter to expose their truths in a way that provides support to others in similar situations, that legitimizes LGBTQ identities and that drives social change through citizen democratization (Vizcaíno‐Verdú & Aguaded, 2022). The content being produced amongst these social media sites by the community, works to combat preconceived prejudices of those identifying within the LGBTQ sphere whilst promoting diversity and understanding (Vizcaíno‐Verdú & Aguaded, 2022). Users engage algorithms and employ features such as hashtags to disseminate their truths amongst themselves and a large global audience (Craig et al., 2021).  

Young people are, to some extent, negating the heteronormative social pressures of the dominate public through the creation of counter-publics that allow them to form and express their LGBTQ identities within a supportive online community in which they do not feel the need to hide. Importantly these counter-publics, which reach beyond physical and social confines, allow individuals to center their personal experiences amongst broader communities, strengthening their influence and prompting social change. Providing avenues for the exposure of resources that aim to support and educate on LGBTQ identities that are not typically found in the institutional spaces young people occupy (Boffone & Jerasa, 2021). This becomes particularly important when young people do not have access to other LGBTQ positive communities and safe spaces because of social isolation as demonstrated during the lockdowns of the Covid-19 pandemic. During the pandemic, young people flooded  Tiktok to create communities of subcultural exchange and affirmation when the effects of marginalization were arguably heightened. Using social media to create new support networks whilst enacting social change in the process, through the everyday activism of digital storytelling and active engagement.  

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Vizcaíno-Verdú, A., & Aguaded, I. (2022). #ThisIsMeChallenge and Music for Empowerment of Marginalized Groups on TikTok. Media And Communication, 10(1). https://doi.org/10.17645/mac.v10i1.4715