Autism & Social Media: The same road but a different view
- Coco Griffiths
- Aug 5, 2017
- 4 min read
The first mainstream social networking site, Geocities, was created in 1994 (1stWebDesigner, 2017).
That same year Autism Spectrum Disorder was recognised internationally with a framework of diagnosis (Baron-Cohen et al., 2017). Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is defined by people who experience difficulties with social interaction and restrictive interests or behaviours (Mazurek 2013, p.1709). They often lack social reciprocity and have difficulty reading and signalling subtle communication cues, such as facial expression and body language (Mazurek 2013, p.1709).
“...people with autism are not less intelligent, but rather they are unable to express themselves”
The internet and social media provides alternative communication platforms for people with ASD to socialise and express themselves. Online affordances such as chat rooms, blogging, instant messaging, social networking, online gaming and virtual worlds enable communication on more equal terms with others. “The impact of the Internet on autistics may one day be compared in magnitude to the spread of sign language among the deaf” (Blume, 1997). Some autistic people are completely, or partially, non-verbal so these affordances can offer significant communication alternatives (Pinchevski & Peters 2016p, 2520); “a way to escape a silent prison” as described by autistic blogger, Ido (Boytsova 2015, p.47).
Face-to-face communication can be a source of anxiety for people on the spectrum (Mazurek 2013, p.1709), so the internet can be an attractive means of information, resources and community. Becoming part of the ASD online community can lessen the sense of isolation that many people on the spectrum suffer (Autism.org.uk., 2017).
Autism & Social Media - a short film by Coco Griffiths
Special interests for people on the spectrum can be areas of great expertise and are able to generate increased feelings of self-confidence and relieve anxiety, but they can also become bothersome to others, who may not share the same level of interest and tire of conversing on the subject (Connopolis, 2017). Ultimately these repetitive topics can become obstructive to forming lasting relationships and friendships. Social media platforms offer a unique opportunity for autistic people to use hashtags, fandom and community forum groups to indulge in special interest topics with the potential for positive outcomes (Connopolis, 2017).
People with ASD can enjoy online gaming experiences and virtual worlds, such as Second Life. Within the Second Life virtual world there is an island especially for ASD players
to interact if they wish (Stendal & Baladin 2015, p.1592), which is testament to the number of autistic people who enjoy the virtual realm. An autistic player named Wolf described how social inclusion within Second Life gave him a sense of empowerment, had enabled him to maintain friendships for more than five years and form a romantic relationship - experiences that had eluded him elsewhere (Stendal & Baladin 2015, p.1594-1596).
The affordance digital communication creates gives autistic people a platform on which to develop and grow their skills; that is, they can utilise live broadcast and video platforms to rehearse and improve social-skills development. (McGinley, 2017 and Connopolis, 2017). The sense of rapport and support they can receive from others (Connopolis, 2017) and connectivity of belonging to a larger pro-autism community (Boytsova 2015, p44-51.) can bring positive outcomes for autistic individuals.
Whilst real-life exchanges are transient, mistakes made on the internet can be captured for digital eternity. With autistic people’s propensity for misreading social or contextual sub-texts they are also vulnerable to making these mistakes online with potentially damaging consequences (McGinley, 2017). They are also vulnerable to allowing online experiences to dominate their lives, should it become an area of special interest or addiction (Szalavitz, 2017).
The internet as a communication and socialising platform allows autistic people to grow and develop their skills, to feel connected with others and communicate in a way that is unique to digital affordances. In this way the lives of autistic people can be enriched by affording a voice; inclusion within community; and a vehicle for empowerment.
REFERENCES
1stWebDesigner. (2017). History Of Social Networking: How It All Began. [online] Available at: https://1stwebdesigner.com/history-of-social-networking/ [Accessed 8 Aug. 2017].
Autismepicenter.com. (2017). What is Autism Spectrum Disorder?. [online] Available at: http://www.autismepicenter.com/what-is-autism.shtml [Accessed 10 Aug. 2017].
Autism.org.uk. (2017). Social isolation - NAS. [online] Available at: http://www.autism.org.uk/about/communication/social-isolation.aspx [Accessed 10 Aug. 2017].
Baron-Cohen, S., Robinson, J., Woodbury-Smith, M. and Wheelwright, S. (2017). Very Late Diagnosis of Asperger Syndrome | Interactive Autism Network. [online] Iancommunity.org. Available at: https://iancommunity.org/cs/articles/very_late_diagnosis_of_asperger_syndrome [Accessed 8 Aug. 2017].
Blume, H. (1997). Autistics, freed from face-to-face encounters, are communicating in cyberspace.. [online] Nytimes.com. Available at: http://www.nytimes.com/1997/06/30/business/autistics-freed-from-face-to-face-encounters-are-communicating-in-cyberspace.html [Accessed 8 Aug. 2017].
Boytsova, E. (2015). INTERNET AND AUTISM: The reflection of communication experiences in narrative practices. [online] GUPEA. Available at: http://hdl.handle.net/2077/39588 [Accessed 8 Aug. 2017].
Connopolis (2017). How Social Media Can Improve Autistic Communication (Live at The Autism Show 2017). [online] YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pi3VAzI2hPo [Accessed 8 Aug. 2017].
Mazurek, MO. (2013). Social media use among adults with autism spectrum disorders, Computers In Human Behavior, 4, pp.1709-1714, General OneFile, EBSCOhost, [Accessed 8 Aug. 2017].
McGinley, A. (2017). How do people with Autism experience social media? | Aaron McGinley | TEDxTryon. [online] YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26EJ5D5Zf0A [Accessed 8 Aug. 2017].
Pinchevski, A. and Peters, J. (2016). Autism and new media: Disability between technology and society. New Media & Society, 18(11), pp.2507-2523.
Stendal, K, & Balandin, S 2015, Virtual Worlds For People With Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Case Study In Second Life, 37:17, 1591–1598: Informa Healthcare, Deakin Research Online, EBSCOhost, Available at: http://dx.doi.org/10.3109/09638288.2015.1052577 [Accessed 8 Aug. 2017].
Szalavitz, M. (2017). The Hidden Link Between Autism and Addiction. [online] The Atlantic. Available at: https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2017/03/autism-and-addiction/518289/ [Accessed 10 Aug. 2017].
IMAGES & GRAPHICS
Header image: Background image,'Coast Road Through Windsceen Of A Car' Ed Gregory (CC0) http://stokpic.com/project/coast-road-through-windsceen-of-a-car/, edited by Coco Griffiths using PicMonkey.
Autism & Social Media: A short film by Coco Griffiths created using VideoScribe.
#Special Topics infographic: Created by Coco Griffiths using Piktochart.
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