TikTok enables neurodivergent users to form communities through relatable content and platform affordances such as comments and hashtags, shaping how users experience belonging and connection online.
Hi Chantelle! I wonder if social media awareness has increased diagnosis of ADHD. Perhaps something worth looking at for further research.
I recommend watching the Four Corners episode about ADHD on ABC iView.
I really enjoyed your presentation, great case study of Rich and Roxes and you captured that really well. Your point about engagement being what turns shared content into actual community was a strong way to tie the affordances and the content together.
That comment you showed where someone realised through the videos that her, her husband and her kids all had ADHD was strong example. But also made me think about how Tiktok can shape the way people understand self-diagnosis.
Q1: Do you think the same relatable videos that help people feel understood could also make people question themselves more because the algorithm keeps showing similar content? cus I feel like that could change what community means in this context.
I like how you mentioned that ADHD Love uses humour because short videos have to be simple and easy to understand.
Q2: But do you think focusing so much on the funny and relatable side might leave out some of the more serious parts of ADHD? and if it does, do you think that changes what community feels like or is the humour what makes people feel comfortable joining in?
I thought your point about how platform features like comments, hashtags and shared sounds was really interesting, especially how they can connect users to each other automatically, even when they’re not directly talking.
Q3: Do you think that kind of background connection still counts as belonging or is it more like Tiktok giving people the feeling of community without them having to put themselves out there?
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