The ambivalences of visibility: News consumption and public attitudes to same-sex relationships in the context of illiberalism

Abstract

Over the past decade, the rights of people whose sexual orientation does not conform to prevailing norms have become a divisive issue in many countries. Despite a long tradition of research on media and sexual minorities, the role of the media in these recent backlashes remains poorly understood. We argue that this is partly because work in this area is often underpinned by a simple, linear narrative that unambiguously links visibility to empowerment. We highlight the ambivalent impact of mediated visibility and argue that in the context of elite-driven polarization, illiberalism and low levels of media freedom, visibility can become a vehicle of control. To explore this proposition, we examine the link between media and public attitudes to same-sex relationships in four east European countries, combining a population survey with semi-structured interviews. The results confirm the need to consider the conditions of mediated visibility in particular socio-political contexts, showing that where control over the conditions of visibility remains in the hands of homophobic elites, both Public Service Media and digital media can contribute to negative attitudes.

The war on flags: The opposition to state-sponsored LGBTQ+ symbols

“…The gender outcome resonates with studies highlighting a gender gap in voting for radical right parties (Antón-Merino et al 2023; Immerzeel et al 2015), suggesting that partisanship may mediate the gender differences in attitudes. Results also corroborate research on the impact of gender roles on men’s more conservative sexual attitudes (Burke et al, 2017; Gerhardstein and Anderson 2010) and media’s influence on LGBTQ+ attitudes (Mihelj et al, 2023). Yet, they also suggest that the inclusion of partisan variables overrides media and demographic predictors except for age, emphasizing the strong partisan nature of the opposition to LGBTQ+ symbolism.…”

Predictors of illiberalism in Romania: A case study during the Russian invasion in Ukraine

“…There is evidence that traditional news sources tend to promote liberal democratic values (Norris, 2000), whereas social networking services can spread of misinformation and illiberal ideas (Allcott and Gentzkow, 2017; Lee et al, 2023). Other studies suggest that, in illiberal democracies, public service media and the digital media can both contribute to negative attitudes towards liberal causes (Mihelj et al, 2023).…”