The Role of the Internet in the Sexual Identity Development of Gay and Bisexual Male Adolescents

Abstract

This chapter examines the role of the Internet in the sexual identity development process of gay and bisexual male adolescents. These adolescents reported using a range of Internet applications (Web sites, discussion boards, IM, email, etc.) that provided them with varying degrees of anonymity and connection to others. A youth's comfort with and acceptance of his sexual identity often influenced both his use of the various Internet modalities and the degree to which he revealed personal information during these interactions. The participants' narratives revealed that their use of the Internet and its applications could be categorized into four increasing levels of connection with other people: (1) anonymous exploration, (2) casual posting, (3) online conversations, and (4) offline meetings.

Modeling Minority Stress Effects on Homelessness and Health Disparities among Young Men Who Have Sex with Men

“…48 The development of social networking sites that promote the healthy identity development of gay and bisexual youth is an opportunity to reach this population while they may be experiencing isolation and marginalization within their home communities and exploring their emergent sexual orientation identities via online communities. 49,50 Our empirical testing of the effects of minority stress on health of YMSM advances minority stress theory as a framework for investigating health disparities among this population. Results from our path analysis suggest that there are differentiated effects of ever being kicked out of one's childhood home and experiencing current homelessness.…”

Gay Men’s Identity Development in the Twenty-First Century: Continuity and Change, Normalization and Resistance

“…Beyond discourse, though, gay men of this generation also experienced their childhood and adolescence with an entirely different means of social interaction and connection than members of prior generations. The Internet, social media, and networking/ hookup apps had become central forms of cultural communication in the course of their development [e.g., Harper, Bruce, Serrano, & Jamil, 2009]. These young men did not need to pick up the phone to locate a gay youth group, as my therapist had done for me.…”

Innovative sampling and participant recruitment in sexuality research

“…The central concern was being able to recruit a sufficient number from the general population: Given that 1.4% of the population is estimated to be bisexual (Gates, 2011), this required advertising to a potentially very large number of people. We first turned to the Internet, given that it has become a primary way of linking with LGB people (Harper et al, 2009). We tried recruiting participants through a range of social networking sites, but found this to be limited in success; with people either unwilling or unable to meet in the timeframe available.…”