Haimson: LGBTQ people are especially vulnerable to online harassment

This week, a new report from the Anti-Defamation League found that online hate and harassment has sharply risen. The report notes that transgender people are the most targeted demographic group. 

In USA Today, University of Michigan School of Information assistant professor of information Oliver Haimson says online harassment can be particularly harmful for LGBTQ people. 

“This is really especially difficult because so many LGBTQ people and trans people in particular use online spaces to build community and it’s really important, especially for people who are more isolated,” Haimson says. 

Haimson is an expert on social media and content moderation. His research studies the impact of online hate speech and harassment on LGBTQ people, especially transgender youth. 

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Learn more about Oliver Haimson’s research and publications by visiting his UMSI faculty profile. 

Read “'Hugely damaging': Most Americans are being harassed online when using Facebook, Twitter and Reddit’” on USA Today.