“Stuff that only mixed-race people would understand”: Community and identity-related experiences in online groups for multiracial people

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dc.contributor.authorGodard, Rebecca
dc.contributor.authorHoltzman, Susan
dc.contributor.authorDuffield, Enya M.
dc.contributor.authorDo, Elisa
dc.contributor.authorChong, Gale
dc.contributor.authorMathieson, Cynthia
dc.date.accessioned2024-05-22T18:22:39Z
dc.date.available2024-05-22T18:22:39Z
dc.date.issued2024
dc.description.abstractMultiracial people are a rapidly growing group who may still lack social support from similar others in their offline lives. This study aimed to understand the user experiences in online groups for multiracial individuals. In a cross-sectional online survey, 300 multiracial emerging adults (79% women; mean age = 23; most common ethnic identity components: 86% White/European, 44% Chinese, 17% Japanese, 16% Southeast Asian, and 13% Filipino) answered open-ended questions about their experiences in Facebook groups for multiracial people. Participants described aspects of the groups they liked and disliked most, as well as their identity-related experiences in the groups. We used reflexive thematic analysis to generate four themes within participants responses: (1) online groups as a gateway into connections with other multiracial individuals, (2) deriving a sense of belonging and community, (3) an opportunity for exploration and validation of racial identity, and (4) negative intrusions such as negative content (e.g., trolling, repetitive posting) and racism. For racial and ethnic minorities such as multiracial individuals, Facebook groups provide a space for community-building and identity-related experiences. Although online groups can foster a strong sense of community, validation, and belonging, findings also highlight potential challenges and limitations (e.g., how to delineate group boundaries, difficulty forming close relationships). Online group users and researchers should explore novel ways of maximizing these positive experiences while addressing users' concerns and negative experiences.
dc.description.reviewstatusReviewed
dc.description.scholarlevelFaculty
dc.description.sponsorshipThis work was supported by an Insight Grant to the second author from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (435-2017-0781).
dc.identifier.citationGodard, R., Holtzman, S., Duffield, E. M., Do, E., Chong, G., & Mathieson, C. (2024). “Stuff that only mixed‐race people would understand”: Community and identity‐related experiences in online groups for multiracial people. Asian Journal of Social Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1111/ajsp.12623
dc.identifier.urihttps://doi.org/10.1111/ajsp.12623
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/1828/16539
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherAsian Journal of Social Psychology
dc.rightsAttribution-NonCommercial 4.0 Internationalen
dc.rights.urihttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
dc.subjectidentity-related experiences
dc.subjectmultiracialism
dc.subjectonline community
dc.subjectonline groups
dc.subjectsocial media
dc.subject.departmentDepartment of Psychology
dc.title“Stuff that only mixed-race people would understand”: Community and identity-related experiences in online groups for multiracial people
dc.typeArticle

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