From URL to IRL: The Impact of Social Media on People of Color, Women, and LGBTQ+ Communities

UltraViolet, GLADD, Kairos, and Women's March commissioned YouGov to conduct a study of attitudes about hate speech, harassment, and misinformation among Americans. The research finds that respondents are broadly positive about a variety of aspects of the online experience—from the internet providing them a way to stay in touch with family and friends, space to pursue hobbies, and a voice. However, the plurality of respondents across all comparison groups are ambivalent about the risks of being online as well as on the internet's impact on mental health. Respondents think that false information is a problem in online spaces and would like to hold platforms accountable for their role in promoting false information. Discursive incivility and hate speech are both generally regarded as problematic in online spaces, even as large proportions of respondents report having witnessed specific disrespectful or hateful speech online. About one in five Americans report encountering harassment in online spaces either very frequently or frequently, while about one in three LGBTQ+ respondents report the same.