Year: 2024 | Month: March | Volume: 14 | Issue: 3 | Pages: 295-307
DOI: https://doi.org/10.52403/ijhsr.20240342
Resilience of the Rainbow in the Cyberspace: Exploring How the Queer Population Copes with Cyberbullying in India
Manjima Das1, Deepmala Sutar2
1Student, Department of Psychology, Kristu Jayanti College (Autonomous), Bengaluru, India
2Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, Kristu Jayanti College (Autonomous), Bengaluru, India.
Corresponding Author: Manjima Das
ABSTRACT
Background: Cyberbullying is one of the many damages that has come in via the advancement of technology. The growth of usage of online digital platforms influences indirectly the culture of cyberbullying. The most in jeopardy are the struggling minorities such as LGBTQ+ population present in India. This study is aimed to shed light on the experiences of cyberbullying faced by the queer population in India and identifies the various coping strategies implemented by them.
Materials and Methods: Through purposive sampling ten participants belonging to the queer community in India were a part of this study. A qualitative research design was utilized where data was obtained through interviews and later coded for inference.
Results: The findings identified derogatory remarks on social media and name-calling as the most general cyberbullying experience followed with individual prominent in intracommunity cyberbullying. The findings surrounding coping strategies used by the Indian queer population to overcome cyberbullying were noted to be both positive and negative in nature.
Conclusion: The findings of this study highlight the unique challenges that the Indian queer population goes through when it comes to cyberbullying. The results also show us the various coping strategies used by them. However, the effectiveness of those strategies was mostly short-term.
Key words: Cyberbullying, LGBTQ+, Indian Queer Population, India