The role of social media in the LGBTQ+ community: Development and validation study of the Social Media Relevance Scale LGBTQ+

Particularly within the LGBTQ+ community, social media can be an important tool by
providing access to emotional support and resources relevant to developing their
identities and sexuality. In this context, the current study aimed to develop a new self-
report measure, the Social Media Relevance Scale for the LGBTQ+ Community (SMRS
- LGBTQ+), to assess the relevance of social media specifically in this community.
Based on the literature review, an initial pool of 13 items was developed and tested in
an LGBTQ+ Portuguese sample (study 1; N = 102). Exploratory Factor Analysis
revealed that the SMRS-LGBTQ+ presented a single-factor structure accounting for
53.5% of the variance. Psychometric analyses showed good reliability and support for
the SMRS-LGBTQ+ convergent and divergent validities. The SMRS-LGBTQ+ factor
structure and reliability were further confirmed in an international sample (study 2; N =
254). No differences in the SMRS-LGBTQ+ scores were found when considering study
1 and 2 participants’ different educational backgrounds and areas of residence. Overall,
the SMRS-LGBTQ+ showed to be a valid and reliable measure and may be a helpful
tool to be used by researchers, clinicians, and LGBTQ+ organizations, contributing to a
broader understanding of the role of social media within the LGBTQ+ community.