City Research Online

Abstract

Our ‘Autistic Adults Online’ project examined how autistic users navigate and interact with diverse social media features, unravelling the complex relationship between linguistic and digital practices, individuality and connectedness.

We first show how autistic adults creatively and strategically use language and digital tools to forge connections, raise awareness, and maintain a consistent social media presence. By employing linguistic methods, we also demonstrate that they adjust their communicative style for both autistic and non-autistic audiences.

Our interviews reveal further advantages as well as challenges posed by ever-evolving social media norms and algorithms as interviewees spoke not only about creativity and belonging but also about the need to control and police their social media use.

In the final stage of our research, participatory design [see Glossary] workshops provided a canvas for autistic adults to express their communicative expectations, preferences, and sensory needs in digital networking environments. Representing a shift from passive technology users to active collaborators, these workshops empower autistic adults to shape future social media platforms, harnessing their lived experiences and expertise to develop
more inclusive and empathetic spaces for digital interaction and networking.

Publication Type:	Report
Additional Information:	© 2023 Author | Owner. This report is made available under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial 4.0 license.
Subjects:	B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BF Psychology H Social Sciences > HT Communities. Classes. Races Q Science > QA Mathematics > QA76 Computer software
Departments:	School of Science & Technology School of Science & Technology > Department of Computer Science
SWORD Depositor:	Symplectic Administrator

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