“Somebody’s Gonna Go Home and Put it on Facebook”: A Mixed Method Exploration of Black Youth and Adults’ Online Exposure to Violence in a Low-income Community

Exposure to violence has a devastating impact on youth well-being. In urban communities with high rates of violence, negative outcomes are exacerbated by co-occurring rates of poverty and lack of resources and opportunities for youth. Recent studies highlight social media as a conduit for youth violence, though understanding online <i>exposure</i> to violence for youth and adults in urban communities is relatively understudied. Research on youth and adult experiences with online violence exposure has been limited to primarily quantitative methods using predominantly White, middle class samples. This study employs a mixed methods design to examine youth and adult experiences with online exposure to violence in a low-income urban community. The quantitative sample consisted of 150 youth (<i>M</i> _age = 15.1, 52.7% female, 90.7% Black/African American) and 155 adults (<i>M</i> _age = 41.6, 84.5% female, 93.5% Black/African American; < $10,000 annually) who completed a measure of Online Exposure to Violence. The qualitative sample identified as Black/African American (100%) and consisted of 16 youth (12-17 years, 64% female) and 22 adults (26-58 years, 100% female). We employed an exploratory sequential design. Guided by the Transformation Framework, analyses identified themes specific to types and frequency of social media use, and violence seen on social media.