Weaving Autistic Voices on TikTok: Utilizing Co-Hashtag Networks for Netnography

Abstract

While many autistic creators are active on TikTok, sharing content about autism and their daily lives, there is little research to capture the richness of these discourses. In this study, we propose to augment netnography with co-hashtag networks to gain a broader perspective of the online discourse among autistic people while depicting detailed contexts. We analyzed the use of hashtags in 3752 publicly available TikTok videos from 41 autistic creators and conducted an in-depth analysis of 55 of the scraped videos to explore the content and expression of autistic creators on TikTok. The results demonstrate the individuality and advocacy of autistic creators, highlighting their intersectional identities and engagement in various communities beyond the autism community. We emphasize technologies embracing diversity to prevent marginalization and empower children with autism diagnosis.