I Saw It On Tumblr: Social Media, Intersectionality, and Queer Research

Queer communities online serve as a space for sexual and gender minorities, particularly those whose intersection of identities make it difficult for them to find physical spaces in which to belong. This paper will discuss the way queer folk use social media to connect, and the ways in which that connection informs data collection in queer research across disciplines, but particularly within psychological and sociological work. An overarching narrative will be presented on social media’s ability to provide intersectional, queer spaces. Following, I will discuss specific experiences of research collection at two sets of intersections: (1) female same-sex attraction and rural Appalachian geography and (2) sexual orientation, gender identity, and race in broad contexts nationally. This discussion will include explorations of complex intersectional identity including poverty and rurality, the ethics of online recruitment of research participants, and the use of unique social media targeting to gain understanding about the experiences of minority groups