Social Media

International News

“Tell Me You Have ADHD Without Telling Me You Have ADHD”: Neurodivergent Identity Performance on TikTok:

“I argue that in user-generated ADHD TikTok videos the performance strategies of creators and platform affordances of TikTok indicate these videos function as identity work rather than health information.” (Aug, Social Media + Society)

Not everyone is laughing at the controversial Paralympic TikTok account (Jul, RNZ)

“You’ve Got to Put in the Time”: Neoliberal-Ableism and Disabled Streamers on Twitch:

“I argue that Twitch reifies forms of neoliberal-ableism through its prioritizing of individual labour, precarious forms of monetization that necessitate cultures of overwork and ‘grinding’, and targeted harassment, known as hate raids, against disabled and other marginalized streamers to ultimately create a kind of integrative access where disability is tolerated but not valued.” (May, Societies)

Disability activists online and the worlds they're helping to build. “A social media response to a massive public health failure” (Feb, Medicinal Media)

Threads launch fails to prioritize accessibility Users question lack of basic accessibility features in Meta's new Twitter competitor, Threads. (2023)

Why disabled users joined the Reddit blackout “Some disabled users fear the API changes will threaten their ability to access the site. Because both Reddit’s website and its official app fall short of their needs, they rely on third-party applications to navigate Reddit.” (2023, The Verge)

Deaf people like me deserve better than MrBeast’s latest piece of ‘inspiration porn’. ‘After coming under fire for a video in which he helped treat 1,000 people’s blindness, Donaldson decided to double down on videos in which he would go out of his way to “help” people from the disabled community’. (2023, The Independent)

Fake sign language is spreading on TikTok. “Sign language has become trendy on TikTok, but many videos feature incorrect signs, sparking fears the trend will cause lasting damage to American Sign Language” (2023, Washington Post) see also the same problem in New Zealand.

Twitter is getting rid of its free API tier. That's a nightmare for accessibility activists. What will happen to all the good bots? (2023, Mashable)

How ableist algorithms dominate digital spaces “From clumsy social media ads to problematic automation in recruitment, algorithms are often unintentionally stacked against disabled professionals” (2023, IT Pro)

MrBeast, Welcome to the #BlindNewWorld ‘As we watched the "MrBeast cured blindness" story unfold online, we wrestled with understandably complicated feelings. Here's where we landed.’ (2023, Blind New World)

Digital Action Pack Accessible Services Social Media Toolkit (2023, Women Enabled)

More than Just a Hashtag: Disability and TikTok (2022, PBS)

Twitter Was a Lifeline for People With Disabilities. Musk’s Reign Is Changing All of That (2022, Time)

Twitter’s Layoffs Are a Blow to Accessibility among the many layoffs were the team working on accessibility. (2022, Wired)

Accessibility in the Fediverse (and Mastodon) (2022, Eric Eggert)

Slack Commits To Making The Digital Workplace ‘More Accessible And Equitable’ (2022, Forbes)

Disability takes center stage on TikTok “Disabled people's accounts are visible in a way that they are not on other platforms, as they are favored by TikTok's For You page and its discovery-oriented algorithm.” (2022, Le Monde)

LinkedIn Top Voices in Disability Advocacy: 12 creators to follow. (2022, Linkedin)

How we're improving the Discord experience for everyone (2022, Discord)

12 Disabled LGBTQIA+ Activists and Advocates Who You Need to Know (2022, World Institute on Disability)

Older people using TikTok to defy ageist stereotypes, research finds (2022, the Guardian)

Twitter reports that only .06% of images on Twitter are accessible. This too often includes tweets from organizations working on disability. (2022, Twitter)

A new TikTok feature changed the game for deaf users. Now, 'DeafTok' is a thriving, inclusive community. (2022, Business Insider)

How Captions In TikTok Videos And Dictionary.com Are Remaking Internet Culture And How We Literally Talk About Disability In Tech (2022, Forbes)

Twitter begins rollout of alt text badges for greater accessibility (2022, Engadget)

Accessibility on Twitch: the complications of streaming (2022, Euro Gamer)

Twitch streamers campaign for Disability Pride Month (2022, Euro Gamer)

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Middle East and North Africa

Youtube conversations with Mostafa Attia. (In Arabic, 2022, Youtube)

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China

Changing attitudes toward disability, one vlog at a time (2022, Shine)

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Oman

Omanis with disabilities and social media. Reflections from research. (In Arabic, Jun, Oman Daily Observer)

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Vietnam

‘I get yelled at a lot’: can TikTok help wheelchair users reclaim the streets of Hanoi? “As her videos went viral, VinBus responded by putting more information on their website, including photos of wheelchair users on buses, and has promised to include people with disabilities in their marketing videos.” (2022, the Guardian)

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Belgium

Belgian social media star uses power of visuals to demystify disability. (2022)

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Spain

“Fake Autism” a campaign to combat disinformation on social media about autism. (In Spanish, 2023, Laboratorio de Periodismo)

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Ukraine

Social media discourse on needs of people with disabilities. A report. “During the war, special attention is paid to men, while the issues of women and the elderly are not covered sufficiently”. (Apr, League of the Strong)

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United Kingdom

Signature launches RE/SIGN campaign to tackle the influx of ‘Fake sign language’ on TikTok (BSL) (Jul, The Limping Chicken)

Teen beauty queen's TikTok account blocked over acne. (2023, BBC)

As a disabled person, social media has been a lifeline "The internet bypasses what keeps us apart: inaccessible transport, a lack of appropriate care, pain and fatigue. [...] The real power of the disability community, [comes] in the slow accumulation of knowledge that accrues from bearing witness to each other’s lives." (2022, Financial Times)

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Canada

Canadian goes viral for honest restaurant accessibility reviews on TikTok (2022, DH News)

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Mexico

Disability Tiktokers video feature. (In Spanish, 2023, Yo También)

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United States

A Prominent Accessibility Advocate Worked With Studios and Inspired Change. But She Never Actually Existed. An extraordinary investigation into accessibility advocates that appear to have been fictional creations. (Aug, IGN)

How Young Disabled and Chronically Ill People Use Online Communities A Guide for Reporting. (Aug, Julia Métraux)

Meet the Wheelchair User Making Google Maps More Accessible. (Jun, New Mobility)

People with disabilities have built a community on TikTok. They fear its loss if the app is banned. (2023, Yahoo! News)

Senator Markey Demands Musk Reinstate Twitter’s Accessibility Team, Online Features for Users with Disabilities. (2023, Ed Markey)

12 Black Disabled Activists and Advocates You Need to be Following (2023, World Institute on Disability)

Twitter’s meltdown isn’t a punchline for disabled communities “Disabled users fear the loss of Twitter-based networks they’ve spent years building for communication, commerce, and connection” (2023, Prism)

Content creation can be a lifeline for disabled creators —but it can also put their mental and physical health at risk. (2022, Passionfruit)

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Australia

Short statured Australians are facing increased online abuse. They're asking for the public's help to stop it.

“Three times in the last few weeks, Samantha Lilly has stumbled across pictures of herself online that she didn't know had been taken. The photos had been posted alongside derogatory captions, attracting dozens of comments from people laughing along and mocking her appearance.” (May, ABC News)

Young people living with disability share experiences and create communities through social media. (2022, ABC News)

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Peru

Why aren't there inclusive cities and societies? A video profile of Andrea Burga. (In Spanish, Jan, DW)

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