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Stigma Management Strategies of Autistic Social Media Users
Nelya Koteyko1, Martine Van Driel2, Sofia Billan1,2,3,4
1School of Languages, Linguistics and Film, Queen Mary University of London, London, United Kingdom.
Autism in Adulthood
|June 20, 2025
Summary
Autistic individuals use distinct online communication strategies for stigma management, either by building community or by using cautious language to avoid misinterpretation. Understanding these strategies is key to improving social media for autistic users.
Area of Science:
- Social Sciences
- Linguistics
- Autism Studies
Background:
- Current research on autism stigma management relies on artificial settings, missing real-world communication nuances.
- Identifying individual and collective stigma management strategies in online interactions is crucial for enhancing autistic users' social media experiences.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and present a novel method for identifying individual and collective stigma management strategies used by autistic social media users.
- To analyze how autistic individuals navigate social interactions and manage stigma within online communication platforms.
Main Methods:
- Employed a mixed-methods approach combining linguistic analysis with ethnographic perspectives.
- Conducted online observations and interviews with 34 autistic social media users.
- Utilized corpus-assisted analysis of user posts, categorized by autism mention frequency.
Main Results:
- Posts with frequent autism mentions showed information exchange and community building (collective strategy).
- Interviews revealed a strong autistic identity and preference for authentic communication.
- Posts with limited autism mentions featured tentative language, indicating anxiety about misinterpretation (individual strategy).
Conclusions:
- Autistic users adapt communication online, sometimes suppressing natural preferences to mitigate risks from negative social experiences.
- The internet may not be universally enabling for autistic individuals; sociality rights in digital spaces require further research and policy.
- Recognizing and supporting diverse autistic communication styles online is essential.
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