How do social media mechanisms shape who becomes visible in digital public spaces and under what conditions? And what does that mean for social justice? These questions are at the center of a new article by IHS junior researcher Irina Bănoiu and Laura Wiesböck, head of the IHS junior research group Digitalization and Social Transformation. Their paper, “The Governance of Queer Visibility in Platformized Public Spheres,” has been published in the Q1 journal Media and Communication (Impact Factor: 3.1).
Understanding social media as central infrastructures of contemporary public spheres, the authors develop a framework for examining the ambivalent role of platforms in both enabling and constraining queer expression. The article highlights how platform mechanisms influence visibility and participation, shaping the conditions under which queer voices can gain recognition while also facing forms of exclusion, marginalization and surveillance.
Introducing the concept of “platformized (in)visibilization”, the IHS-researchers examine environments for expression in contemporary digital cultures, affecting political legitimacy, social equality, and economic justice.
“Queer lives are facing increasing pressures, while platform companies are gaining power in our societies and becoming entangled with right-wing politics. At the same time, as other avenues for becoming visible in public spheres might be difficult to access, queer persons rely more heavily on social media platforms, which exert growing influence over public discourse. Examining the interaction of these developments is more crucial than ever before”, says Irina Bănoiu.
By bringing critical platform studies and social justice theory into dialogue, the authors explore how platform mechanisms shape who becomes visible, under what conditions, and with what political implications.
The publication contributes to ongoing debates on digital governance and platform power in contemporary societies. It further marks an important milestone for Irina Bănoiu, representing her first publication as part of her cumulative PhD dissertation at the University of Vienna.
Read the full article here.