It’s common knowledge that social media can have negative impacts on people’s mental health and views of the world. From dopamine-induced anxiety and depression and highlight reels that elicit feelings of inadequacy, to misinformation and online bullying, the repercussions of social platforms are becoming more understood.
While these experiences are fairly universal, there are also reasons that social media can have even more adverse impacts on people that hold marginalized identities.
Harassment
Pew Research shows that 41% of US adults have personally experienced online harassment, with LGBTQIA+ people experiencing severe harassment more than twice as much as heterosexual people, and women being more than twice as likely as men to have that harassment be “very upsetting.” They also found that reports of gender-based harassment have increased 65% and ethnicity-based harassment have increased 53% over the past three years.
While online harassment can take many forms, being sexually harassed in spaces that are intended to be professional or platonic can feel uniquely invasive.
“I feel undermined when approached in a sexual manner in a space where I am trying to network for professional growth. It feels like my appearance is determining my worth and value to others, instead of my skills,” said Al Tearjen, a software engineer and startup founder.
Madison Butler, a DEI leader and speaker, shared similar experiences. “It's often unnerving. The internet is a scary place filled...
Read Full Story: https://www.forbes.com/sites/rebekahbastian/2021/08/11/why-social-media-can-be-more-toxic-for-marginalized-identities/
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