Internet-based Media Use and Nv-tong-zhi Empowerment in Taipei : An exploratory study based on interviews with 9 nv-tong-zhi individuals

Abstract: Media impact on LGBT people’s empowerment is not a new topic to media and communication studies, however, the extent to which lesbians’ use of internet-based media have contribute to their empowerment in a non-western context remains under-researched. This research attempts to respond to the question with an exploration of the relation between nv-tong-zhi’s use of internet-based media and their empowerment by the lens of their own lived experiences in Taipei. An interpretive phenomenological analysis (IPA) method was applied in this research, and thematic analysis was conducted on the data gathered through in-depth semi-structured interviews. The findings suggest that nv-tong-zhi individuals’ use of internet-based media have brought about increases in self-efficacy, self-esteem and competence as well as active engagement in empowerment interventions by providing more valuable information and more convenient and accessible social interactions. However, the contribution of using internet-based media remains contextual and temporary. In some cases, using internet-based media may bring in subjective sense of insecurity. Furthermore, there has emerged a paradox between psychological empowerment and collective empowerment that deserves further explanatory studies in the future.