Did Facebook Change Your Views On Gay Marriage?

Impact

Twenty years ago, 61% of Americans said they personally knew someone who is gay or lesbian.

When Pew Research conducted the same poll in 2013, the number rose to 87%.

Why the huge jump? Are Americans meeting more gay or lesbian people in their daily lives — or does Facebook have a lot to do with it?

A recent study from Facebook itself finds that 70% of Americans have a Facebook friend who is gay.

That means we've spent the past several years interacting with gay or lesbian friends on the social network and observing our News Feed as the gay rights movement evolved.

Back in March, when the Supreme Court took up hearings on gay marriage, millions of people were swept up in the excitement. It seemed like everyone simultaneously switched their profile pics to the red and pink version of the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) logo.

Now, after the Supreme Court's twin landmark decisions on gay marriage, the HRC is taking over Facebook again. The organization has created an app called Picture Equality that lets you put the red and pink logo on top of your current profile pic.

There's no question Facebook has become a powerful public forum to discuss and often promote gay rights. When major news breaks on the topic, the site is overwhelmed with chatter about equality and acceptance.

Since pretty much everyone uses Facebook, it's impossible to ignore the posts, pics and comments that push for marriage equality.

Now, according to Pew, almost three in four Americans believe legal recognition of same-sex marriage is "inevitable."

How much does our Facebook News Feed factor into that statistic?

Do you think Facebook has impacted our views on gay marriage?

Share below!