Coming Online

It always makes me really happy to see examples of social media benefiting humanity in some way because I think a lot of it offers very little besides ways to waste our precious time. The internet has offered a refuge for gay people, acting as a support group without biological ties. Coming out videos are now seen as more of a ritual rather than an innovation as more and more gay people document their big reveals through the internet for everyone to see. In a gradually more and more accepting and open-minded society, gay people are feeling more comfortable with their identities. Eventually, coming out may not even warrant making a video for. But as of now, gay people still struggle with a lot of homophobia, and when that homophobia exists even within their own homes, it can be difficult to find support and I think that social media has succeeded in filling this void.

The most memorable coming out videos have all the elements of and exude as much emotion as a Disney classic. But two months ago, a coming out video got released and went viral. It was memorable, for sure, but for all the wrong reasons.

In the video, Daniel, the son, has come out in front of family members including his mother, father, aunt and uncle. Initially, it seems as if it will go OK, but the conversation quickly turns very heated. The family is clearly displeased with what they believe is Daniel's choice, and they disown him. Daniel is very disappointed that his family, who has loved him until this day, could so easily abandon him and he tells them off for not being caring parents and that is when shit hits the fan.

The results of Bond's "Information Seeking and Coming Out" indicate "the same participants who are heavy users of the internet during the coming-out process were significantly less likely to communicate openly with their families later in life." This is very easily supported by the video and I can really see why that would be the case. In the video's description, it says a lot of people have asked for directions on how to donate and it provides a link for funding. At this time of struggle and almost certain homelessness, Daniel has found refuge in an Internet community that accepts him in a way his biological family failed to. It is almost natural to assume, then, that Daniel would just be more willing to communicate with this community than his actual family. I also believe that Daniel chose this method of coming out because of the community as well. The internet is now inundated with coming out videos and I have no doubt that Daniel watched many of them before deciding for himself to tell his family. Celebrities coming out have become a newsworthy spectacle and I believe that helped reinforce Daniel's decision as well. As this trend continues, I think both gay and straight people will become more comfortable about the coming out process and make it easier for gay people to overcome the pressures they feel from society. Because of this I believe social media has served a humanitarian purpose, giving valuable information to the gay people that need it because there is not a TV show titled "How to be Gay 101." Hopefully there will not be a need for that in the future, when gayness is seen as a trait just like red hair and brown eyes.


Bond, B. J., Hefner, V., & Drogos, K. L. (2009). Information-seeking practices during
the sexual development  of lesbian, gay, and bisexual individuals: The influence and
effects of coming out in a mediated environment. Sexuality & Culture: An
Interdisciplinary Quarterly, 13(1), 32-50. doi: 10.1007/s12119-008-9041-y