The Psychological Boomerang: Investigating the Mental Health Impacts of Spreading Anti-LGBTQ+ Misinformation and Hate Speech Online

The increasing prevalence of hate speech in digital spaces has become a growing concern, particularly with the advancement of technological tools, with sexual minorities being a primary target of this growing phenomenon. While prior research has primarily focused on the psychological impact of hate speech on victims, the effects on those who spread such hate remain underexplored. This study aims to examine the relationship between actively spreading LGBTQ+-related misinformation and the mental health of message spreaders. To investigate this, Twitter user accounts that used the #superstraight hashtag, a meme popularized in February 2021 to express transphobic sentiments, were analyzed over a three-month period. Sentiment analysis of posts from 421 users, conducted before and after the period of spreading the messages, revealed a negative correlation between the dissemination of misinformation and users mental health. These findings suggest that the dissemination of hate speech is associated with a decline in the mental well-being of individuals who propagate such messages. This research highlights the harm of online hate on all and provides insights into combating hate speech.