Queer Identity Management and Political Self‐Expression on Social Networking Sites: A Co‐Cultural Ap...

Social networking sites can facilitate self‐expression, but for some, that freedom is constrained. This study investigated factors that influence LGBT + individuals' identity management and political expression on social media. We interviewed 52 participants aged 18 to 53 around the 2012 U.S. election. Using co‐cultural theory, we investigated communicative practices employed by queer‐identified individuals on Facebook. Participants whose LGBT + identity was not known by the social network (i.e., those who were still in the closet) revealed a spiral of silence, wherein they were silenced by the perceived heteronormative majority. Participants whose identity was known (i.e., those who were out) revealed a spiral of silencing as they used the site's affordances to empower their vocal minority and silence the dominant group.