One of our most positive findings related to how social platforms enabled our participants to learn about being LGBTQ+ from the content that they saw. Social platforms should be designed in ways that support such exploration, and protect peoples' privacy in the process.
Provide ways that people can explore topics
To help people explore content, consider offering ways to browse topics of interest. For example, the mockup on the right from Suggested Topics offers a visual way of exploring related topics.
As one participant described in response to the concept: "It's kind of nice to be able to choose what rabbit-hole you go down... and if I keep scrolling down after I click on that, I find more of what I want."
Hide the topics people are interested in by default
The privacy afforded by being able to explore being LGBTQ+ online compared to in the physical realm, means that social platforms are often a safe resource for self-exploration without having to disclose one's identity. However, social platforms are often designed in ways that share peoples' interests with others by default and this can have negative consequences. To avoid this, and as we also recommend in Allow flexibility in curating audiences, platforms should obscure traces of peoples' activity by default.