Characterizing participation across social media sites amongst young adults with intellectual disability

Abstract

Young Adults with Intellectual Disability (YAID) are interested in participating in social media as it offers opportunities for their social participation and inclusion. However, the literature remains incomplete on the nature of participation across popular social media sites by YAID, and how different social media sites fulfil their participation interests. To explore this, we employed a mixed methods approach involving interviews, participant observation, training workshops, and a survey with YAID. We found that participation interests varied between platforms: all participants used YouTube for entertainment, some participated in Facebook to stay connected with family, whereas Snapchat and Instagram were used for playful interaction with strangers. Awareness of online safety emerged as a key competence, while literacy, authentication, netiquette and disruption from advertising content adversely affected participation. We discuss how to address these issues to support and sustain participation, as well as opportunities for leveraging participation in social media for skills development.