Social Media, Communities, & Networks Conference 2026: Semester 1 & SP1

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2 responses to “Domenic Rossi – LGBTQIA+ Community Building in Eurovision Fanbases on X”

1. 

   Brooke

   29/04/2026

   Hi Domenic,
   This was a great presentation. I wasn’t aware that fans of Eurovision put flag emojis in their names on social media to represent their top 3 songs. I wonder if there are any examples of context collapse whereby a supporter might display a flag from, for example, Ukraine to support their contribution, but have it interpreted as being supportive for Ukraine in the Russia-Ukraine war, and therefore be labelled as anti-Russia?

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2. 

   gayle

   01/05/2026

   Hi Dominic,
   I enjoyed watching your presentation and learning about the Eurovision communities and how it’s a big space for queer people which I never even knew existed until now. I’ve got a few questions I’d love to hear your thoughts on.

   1. What I found really interesting was when you talked about queer fans using pride flags and country flags in their display names. It made me think of Karahanna’s research from 2018 on how certain features on platforms can help people express themselves and feel like they belong. I’m wondering, are queer Eurovision fans changing their profiles to show more about who they are, or are they doing it to connect with other queer fans? And do you think X gives them enough features to do that well, or are there things missing?

   2. I really liked your point about Eurovision being so queer that being straight is the thing you must come out as. But it made me think about the other side of being that visible online, because being seen isn’t always a good thing and can open people up to trolling or harassment. Did you come across any examples on X where queer Eurovision fans were getting hate or homophobic replies during contest season? And how do you think fans manage that balance of being visible enough to find their community without making themselves a target?

   3. I also really liked the Singleton quote you used about fans booing acts that aren’t “too straight” or dismissing ones that seem “constructed as gay.” That kind of sounds like callout culture happening inside the fandom itself, where queer fans are basically deciding who counts as properly queer. Did you see anything on X where artists, countries, or even other fans got called out or cancelled for being homophobic or for queerbaiting? And do you think that kind of thing makes the queer community stronger, or does it cause problems within it?

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