Are Online Social Spaces Further Marginalising Minority Groups in Society? A Case Study of the Experiences of the LGBTQ Community in Ireland

Abstract

Building on earlier research in engineering ethics, this study explores the extent to which automation in digital public spaces, contribute to the marginalization of certain citizen subgroups. This paper focuses on the experiences of the LGBTQ community in both offline and online LGBTQ spaces. We present empirical data gathered from the Irish LGBTQ community. We contend that this country case study, is instructive to the experiences of digital marginalization forces, in other countries and contexts. Ireland is seen as a world leader in LGBTQ rights since the legalization of same-sex marriage by public vote in 2015. In spite of these new freedoms, enshrined also in EU civil liberties, we present evidence that the LGBTQ online space lacks, a safe space for a diversity of genders and sexualities. We conclude that digital public spaces continue to marginalize these communities and we make recommendations for IFAC research and digital public policy.