Political Participation Frames in a Gay Community

This article is based on a netnographic research project that studied political discussions in the Swedish LGBT online community Qruiser. The aim of the project was to understand what motivated participation in political forum threads on Qruiser. The research was conducted through netnographic online interviews, as well as participant observations in, and content analyses of, political discussion threads during November 2012. The authors used framing theory as an analytical tool and sought to answer which types of frames attracted and mobilized greater participation.

This article will be of use to PVE researchers and practitioners interested in netnography and particularly anti-gay and homophobic extremism, and political responses from gay communities. The paper found that, in particular, that the framing of the left vs right and xenophobic vs political correctness motivated deeper participation. The paper will additionally be of use to those interested in creating counter-narratives and looking to gain insight from groups who feel victimized and/or targeted by extremism discourse or actions.