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Social Media for Reducing Prejudice and Promoting Tolerance: Characteristics of LGTBIQ+ Content and its Impact on Well-being and Social Attitudes across Diverse Audiences
The main goal of this project is to deepen the understanding of how LGBTIQ+ meanings are configured and mediated across different content genres and social media platforms, as well as the impact these processes generate. The project places particular emphasis on individuals who have been traditionally marginalized in both visibility and research (e.g., non-heterosexual cisgender individuals, elderly populations), while also considering intersectional variables such as gender, sexuality, age, socioeconomic background, and ethnicity. By examining both how these portrayals are constructed and their effects, the study seeks to clarify how mediated content influences audience perceptions, attitudes, and well-being.
Therefore, the general objectives (O) of this project are twofold:
- O1: To explore the various ways LGBTIQ+ identities are portrayed across different content genres on social media.
- O2: To examine the effects of consuming LGBTIQ+ content, particularly on well-being and prejudice reduction, focusing on diverse audiences and examining how these narratives’ formal and content characteristics shape their impact across various multiple platforms.
SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES
- Objective 1: To explore LGBTIQ+ media portrayal on social media and its mediation through platform affordances, governance, and community practices.
- Objective 2: To explore the effects of consuming LGBTIQ+ content in LGBTIQ+ audiences.
- Objective 3: To explore the effects of consuming LGBTIQ+ content in cis hetero mainstream audiences.
METHODOLOGY AND APPROACH
To achieve the general and specific objectives, this project will adopt a mixed-methods approach. It will employ qualitative techniques, primarily qualitative content analysis and focus group discussions, to explore emerging phenomena. Quantitative methods will be used to assess magnitudes and verify potential effects at different stages, mainly through experimental studies. The team built for this project brings together scholars with demonstrated experience in communication and media psychology, an interdisciplinary field dedicated to exploring the effects of media use, and the methodology employed.
Project financed by the Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades in collaboration with the EU in the frame of the “Convocatoria de subvenciones del programa de apoyo a proyectos de investigación en ciencia aplicada, cofinanciadas por el Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional”. Project reference: PID2025-168156NA-I00
