LGBTQ University Students’ Information Seeking and Sharing in Queer Online Communities on Social Media: An Ecological Socio-Technical Perspective

Abstract

This dissertation investigates how LGBTQ university students seek and share information within queer online communities across social media platforms. Using a sequential exploratory mixed methods design, the dissertation focuses on five key research areas: the types of queer online communities LGBTQ students engage with; the dimensions and dynamics of their information practices; the factors influencing these behaviors; the role of social media features; and LGBTQ students’ perceptions of usability and sociability across platforms. The qualitative phase—consisting of in-depth interviews and diary studies with LGBTQ students—informed the development of an online survey designed to capture broader behavioral patterns and perspectives. This study involved 97 LGBTQ university students from 45 institutions across the United States. Of these, 22 participated in qualitative interviews and diaries, while 92 completed an online survey. The findings reveal that LGBTQ university students engage in a diverse ecosystem of queer online communities shaped by identity, purpose, access, origin, and geography, and strategically navigate these overlapping spaces to meet their information needs. Their information seeking and sharing practices are characterized by varied motivations, the types of information sought and shared, behavioral characteristics, communal contexts, temporal dynamics, and outcomes. Six categories of influencing factors—informational, personal, interpersonal, communal, technical, and environmental—shape participants’ practices across contexts. Participants use diverse social media features, recognizing both their empowering and constraining impact on identity expression and information exchange. Finally, LGBTQ students prefer platforms like Discord and Reddit, which support more community-oriented engagement, while platforms like Instagram are seen as less supportive of queer users’ needs. This dissertation makes three key contributions: (1) a multidimensional framework that centers LGBTQ students as active agents within queer online communities, conceptualized as dynamic online information ecosystems; (2) the validation of an exploratory mixed methods approach that leverages diverse data collection strategies to understand marginalized populations; and (3) practical implications for designing more inclusive and affirming social media platforms. Overall, this research advances understanding of LGBTQ information practices and lays the groundwork for future ethical, community-centered scholarship.