Light it up blue, but not in my name: #SoyAutista digital communication and emotions of the autistic collective

Authors

  • Eva Moral Cabrero Universidad Pontificia de Comillas, España https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3985-8544
  • Ingrid Gil Universidad Pontificia Comillas
  • Patricia Martín Matas Universidad Pontificia Comillas

Keywords:

disability; autism; blue; identity; social networks; digital communication; Twitter; emotions.

Abstract

The present study performs a textual analysis of the content generated on the social network Twitter by profiles of users with autism who, under the hashtag #SoyAutista, address the use of the color blue, proposed by the organization Autism Speaks, as a symbol of identity for those within the spectrum. The period analyzed collects a total of 1,958 tweets that under the aforementioned tag were published throughout 2018. The data were initially treated with the social network analysis program Netlytic for the identification of the most frequently used words in the organic campaign[1] that pointed out the term blue as one of the 30 most relevant. Subsequently, in order to study the emotions expressed, the content of the 79 entries containing the term blue (and others related to it, such as puzzle) was extracted for in-depth analysis, as it constituted one of the most clearly identified topics of interest in the media discourse produced by the group of profiles that, for the most part, rejected its use.  

 

[1] According to the Twitter glossary, "organic" refers to interactions that are generated between users and content through spontaneous, non-promoted posts: https://business.twitter.com/es/help/overview/twitter-ads-glossary.html

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Author Biographies

Ingrid Gil, Universidad Pontificia Comillas

Universidad Pontificia Comillas, España

Patricia Martín Matas, Universidad Pontificia Comillas

Universidad Pontificia Comillas, España

 

References

Agarwal, N., Liu, H., Tang, L., y Yu, P. S. (2012). Modeling blogger influence in a community. Social Network Analysis and Mining, 2(2), pp. 139–162. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13278-011-0039-3

Ahmed, W., Bath, P., Sbaffi, L., y Demartini, G. (2018). Measuring the effect of public health campaigns on Twitter: the case of World Autism Awareness Day. [Online]. En Springer Verlag. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-78105-1_2.

Andrews, E. E., Forber-Pratt, A. J., Mona, L. R., Lund, E. M., Pilarski, C. R., y Balter, R. (2019). #SaytheWord: A disability culture commentary on the erasure of «disability». Rehabilitation Psychology, 64(2), pp. 111-118. psyh. https://doi.org/10.1037/rep0000258

Autismo Europa (2012). European Days of Autism 2012: Autism and the challenges of ageing. Recuperado el 10 de enero de 2022, en: http://www.autismeurope.org/

Begara Iglesias, O., Gómez Sánchez, L. E., y Alcedo Rodríguez, M. Á. (2019). Do young people with Asperger syndrome or intellectual disability use social media and are they cyberbullied or cyberbullies in the same way as their peers? Psicothema, 31.1, pp. 30-37. https://doi.org/doi: 10.7334/psicothema2018.243

Bellon-Harn, M. L., Ni, J., y Manchaiah, V. (2020). Twitter usage about autism spectrum disorder. Autism: the International Journal of Research and Practice, 24(7), pp. 1805–1816. https://doi.org/10.1177/1362361320923173

Jiménez Lara, A. (2018). Informe Olivenza 2018, sobre la situación general de la discapacidad en España. https://www.observatoriodeladiscapacidad.info/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/OED-INFORME-OLIVENZA-2018.pdf

Jiménez Lara, A. y Huete García, A. (2017). Informe Olivenza 2017 sobre la situación general de la discapacidad en España. Recuperado el 10 de enero de 2022 en https://www.observatoriodeladiscapacidad.info/informe-olivenza-2017-2/

Lee, H. E., y Cho, J. (2019). Social Media Use and Well-Being in People with Physical Disabilities: Influence of SNS and Online Community Uses on Social Support, Depression, and Psychological Disposition. Health communication, 34(9), pp. 1043-1052. https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2018.1455138

Mazurek, M. O. (2013). Social media use among adults with autism spectrum disorders. Computers in Human Behavior, 29(4), pp. 1709–1714. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2013.02.004

Ministerio de Sanidad, Servicios Sociales e Igualdad (2015). Estrategia Española en Trastornos del Espectro del Autismo. Recuperada el 23 de octubre de 2021 de https://www.mscbs.gob.es/ssi/discapacidad/informacion/estrategiaEspanolaAutismo.htm

Pegalajar Palomino, M. del C., y Colmenero Ruíz, M. J. (2014). Estudio piloto sobre el uso de las redes sociales en jóvenes con discapacidad intelectual. Edutec. Revista Electrónica De Tecnología Educativa, 48. https://doi.org/10.21556/edutec.2014.48.179

Runswick-Cole, K. (2014). Us’ and ‘them’: The limits and possibilities of a ‘politics of neurodiversity’ in neoliberal times. Disability & Society, 29(7), 1117–1129. doi:10.1080/09687599.2014.910107

Sarkar, T., Forber-Pratt, A. J., Hanebutt, R. y Cohen, M. (2021): «Good morning, Twitter! What are you doing today to support the voice of people with #disability?»: disability and digital organizing, Journal of Community Practice. https://doi.org/10.1080/10705422.2021.1982802

Saha, A., y Agarwal, N. (2015). Demonstrating social support from Autism bloggers community on Twitter. 2015 IEEE/ACM International Conference on Advances in Social Networks Analysis and Mining (ASONAM), pp. 1053–1056. https://doi.org/10.1145/2808797.2809364

Pieta Shakes y Andrew Cashin (2020). An Analysis of Twitter Discourse Regarding Identifying Language for People on the Autism Spectrum, Issues in Mental Health Nursing, 41:3, pp. 221-228. https://doi-org.ezproxy.usal.es/10.1080/01612840.2019.1648617

Suriá Martínez, R. (2012). Redes sociales online y su utilización para mejorar las habilidades sociales en jóvenes con discapacidad. Escritos de Psicología, 5(3), pp. 16-23. https://doi.org/10.5231/psy.writ.2012.1809

Sweet, K. S., LeBlanc, J. K., Stough, L. M., y Sweany, N. W. (2020). Community building and knowledge sharing by individuals with disabilities using social media. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 36(1), pp. 1-11.

Wilkinson, D., y Thelwall, M. (2010). Researching Personal Information on the Public Web: Methods and Ethics. Social Science Computer Review, 29(4), pp. 387-401. ttps://doi.org/10.1177/0894439310378979

Published

2022-01-29

How to Cite

Moral Cabrero, E., Gil, I., & Martín Matas, P. (2022). Light it up blue, but not in my name: #SoyAutista digital communication and emotions of the autistic collective. Revista Prisma Social, (36), 220–244. Retrieved from https://revistaprismasocial.es/article/view/4578