Digitally Constructing Marginalized Neurodivergence: Understanding South Asian Diasporic Autism and ADHD Communities on TikTok
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: At the growing intersections of social media and critical disability studies, limited empirical research exists on the role of digital platforms in expressing and constructing neurodivergent identity among subpopulations that additionally belong to other minoritized groups. This study critically intervenes by mapping how what we term “marginalized neurodivergence” is digitally constructed, using the case of young neurodivergent members of the global South Asian (SA) diaspora on TikTok (SANT). We conducted a thematic analysis of 100 TikTok videos posted by SANT from 2020 to 2024 about their lived experiences of autism and/or ADHD, employing dual theoretical and conceptual lenses: the psychosocialcultural framework from counseling psychology and platform affordances from digital studies. Findings indicate that TikTok serves as a forum for SANT to explore overlapping psychological, social, and cultural concerns that may otherwise not be discussed within SA or neurodivergent communities. Although these issues exist outside of TikTok for SANT, the platform’s affordances allow for social, communicative, and expressive possibilities that in turn shape the creation, consumption, and circulation of such content. This study has direct implications for informing clinical support around mental health and disability among marginalized communities, as well as understandings of how digital platforms potentially serve as a mediating factor.
Source: Social Media + Society
Authors: Meryl Alper, Sadia Ehsan Cheema, Zubin DeVitre, Snehaa Ram
Language: English
Subfield: Safety Research
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $1,000
Funder: Northeastern University
OpenAlex ID: W4417222197