“I’ve Become More Myself”: Challenges and Benefits of Engaging with ADHD Short-Form Video Content and Communities
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Short-Form Video Content (SFVC) platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube Shorts have become important spaces for ADHD adults to share experiences. However, much existing research focuses on the challenges these platforms pose for ADHDers, including accentuating sleep problems and attention difficulties. This article presents an interview study with 32 ADHDers who articulated a more nuanced relationship with SFVC. It explores how engaging with ADHD communities on these platforms impacted ADHDers’ self-understanding, emotional well-being, and both online and offline relationships. ADHDers worked to maintain their agency in this attention economy, managing their experiences and intent through information seeking, self-regulation, handling misinformation, and curating algorithms. Findings are described under three themes: (1) Cultural Stigma and ADHD Perceptions Contextualize Engagement; (2) How ADHD SFVC Affects ADHDers’ Emotions and Contextual Behaviors; and (3) Broader Impacts on ADHD Relationships, Stigma, and Self-Perception. Challenging existing narratives, this work highlights the value of these communities for ADHDers.
DOI: 10.1145/3778352
Institutions: University of Bristol, University College London
Language: English
Subfield: Sociology and Political Science
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W4416758585