Online communities are important to the identity formation of LGBTQ+ people. In these digital spaces, LGBTQ+ people increasingly disclose more personal information as they receive community support and make connections with others. However, online communities are not always private, making it difficult for people to manage the audiences that see their personal information. It is equally difficult for people to discern how different audiences will perceive their posts. While it is known that LGBTQ+ people face digital harm from outside their communities, intracommunity conflicts remain understudied. As a result, online LGBTQ+ communities are vulnerable to privacy and safety risks due to forms of intracommunity peer surveillance.  

Kyle Beadle’s PhD thesis addresses this gap by measuring intracommunity peer surveillance in online LGBTQ+ communities and investigating its effect on people’s digital and offline behaviour. The first objective of his thesis is to measure how peer surveillance occurs in online LGBTQ+ communities and its effects on user posting behaviour and community dynamics. Analysis of community posts and comments reveal that specific platform features enable coercion and behaviour changes that homogenize diverse expression of identity.  

The second objective of Kyle’s thesis is to investigate the impact of online peer surveillance on LGBTQ+ people’s privacy behaviours. In future experimental research, his work aims to identify which contextual factors, such as group identity and post characteristics, impact user privacy management.  

The third objective of Kyle’s thesis is to examine the effect of online peer surveillance on LGBTQ+ people’s offline lives and relationships. His future qualitative work from focus groups with young LGBTQ+ people will highlight the specific challenges they face offline while developing their identity digitally. Ultimately, his work aims to change the narrative around peer surveillance and empower users to explore their identities safely.

If you are interested in finding out more about this study, please email Kyle Beadle at kyle.beadle.22@ucl.ac.uk.