Teenage Gays’ Use of Social Networking Apps and Sexual Identity Development

• Main Authors: YEH, PEI-HSU, 葉沛煦
• Other Authors: CHEN, YUN-JU
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2017
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/65164257763112717701

碩士 === 靜宜大學 === 大眾傳播學系 === 105 === Teenager gays live in heterosexual campus, it’s hard to develop their sexual identity because of the lack of LGBT information and cannot come out to their family. It is significant for teenagers to identify themselves with friends, but their unexpectable sexual orientation makes gay teenagers tough in their progress of making friends. New media technology generates the social networking apps, with the prosperity of internet, gay apps builds a new interpersonal relationship, making friends without pressure. This location-based service technology breaks the time and traditional geographical boundaries, switches position easily. Teenager gays can make friends in an anonymous way. Qualitative research method is the main method in this research, and conducting semi-structured interviews with teenagers to understand the process of teenagers’ sexual orientation and sexual identity through interviews. Also, how environment, such as family and school influence the development of sexual identity is also very important here. With the development of science and technology, teenager gays use dating apps mainly because the formation of friends making, looking for a partner or through the apps to seek for special experience. In this virtual community, teenager gays recognize their homosexuality, and even make up for regret of real life.