“Vulnerable, Victimized, and Objectified”: Understanding Ableist Hate and Harassment Experienced by Disabled Content Creators on Social Media

Literature Title

“Vulnerable, Victimized, and Objectified”: Understanding Ableist Hate and Harassment Experienced by Disabled Content Creators on Social Media

Literature Information

• Subject Area: Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), hate and harassment on social media, disability rights
• Keywords: ableism, hate and harassment, social media, content creators, privacy, intersectionality, disability discrimination, infrastructure lens

Research Background and Issues

• Identified Problems or Challenges:

  • Disabled content creators frequently experience hate and harassment on social media, but there is limited research on these forms of discrimination.
  • The activities of content creators are affected by inappropriate platform moderation, suppression by social media algorithms, and the lack of response to their reports by platforms.
  • Disabled content creators who identify as LGBTQ or non-white may face heightened online discrimination.

• Importance of the Issue:

  • Content creators are a vital group on social media, using platforms to express their identities, share hobbies, and educate the public. However, disabled content creators face numerous challenges, including inadequate platform accessibility and ableist hate speech, which limit their participation and expression.
  • Hate speech and harassment not only harm creators' mental health but also impact their income, public image, and connection with their audience.

• Research Motivation and Related Work:

  • Existing research focuses on harassment faced by various marginalized groups (e.g., women, LGBTQ individuals, racial minorities) on social media, but there is limited exploration of hate directed at disabled content creators.
  • Some studies have identified microaggressions against disabled users, but they have yet to delve into more overt and widespread forms of ableist discrimination.

Solutions

• Proposed Methods or Solutions:

  • The authors conducted a two-part study: an online survey of 50 disabled content creators and in-depth interviews with 20 of them to comprehensively understand manifestations of ableist discrimination.
  • The study developed a taxonomy of 11 types of ableist discrimination on social media and explored whether intersecting identities (e.g., LGBTQ+) increase the risk of discrimination.
  • Statistical modeling was used to analyze the impact of intersecting identities on ableist discrimination, and various strategies employed by creators to cope with discrimination were discussed.

• Innovative Aspects of the Solution:

  • Systematically categorized and defined ableist discrimination on social media, extending existing theories on microaggressions.
  • Provided an infrastructure lens to analyze the dynamics between disabled creators and platforms, revealing the role of platforms in perpetuating ableist discrimination and how creators strive to ensure their own safety.
  • Focused on the impact of intersectional identities on experiences of discrimination, addressing gaps in research on online discrimination in the context of multiple marginalized identities.

• Implementation Steps and Key Techniques:

  • Distributed surveys to collect information on types and frequencies of discrimination, followed by semi-structured interviews to explore creators' experiences in depth.
  • Used linear regression and logistic regression models to analyze the impact of intersecting identities on the frequency and severity of discrimination.
  • Coded and thematically analyzed qualitative data to develop the taxonomy.

Research Findings

• Specific Findings:

  • Taxonomy: The authors developed a taxonomy of 11 types of ableist discrimination, including derogatory language, violence and eugenic rhetoric, questioning abilities and denying accessibility, mocking and denying disability identity, as well as sexual harassment and objectification.
  • Impact of Intersectional Identities: LGBTQ disabled content creators experienced more frequent and severe ableist hate speech compared to non-LGBTQ creators.
  • Platform Role Analysis: The amplification and exacerbation of ableist discrimination on social media platforms were attributed to flaws in content moderation mechanisms, such as inadequate handling of hate speech, shadow banning, and non-transparent content management.

• Advantages:

  • The taxonomy and analysis are more comprehensive, providing guidance for platform design and regulation.
  • Offers quantitative and qualitative evidence supporting the impact of intersecting marginalized identities on online discrimination, inspiring the development of more inclusive protection mechanisms.

• Experimental or Evaluation Results:

  • LGBTQ disabled creators were significantly more likely to experience ableist discrimination than non-LGBTQ creators, with model-based predictions showing 80.7% versus 34.1%.
  • Qualitative interviews revealed platform behaviors, including content suppression of specific creators and mislabeling, further reinforcing the existence of systemic ableist discrimination.

• Limitations and Future Directions:

  • Limitations: The sample was limited to active content creators, excluding those who left platforms due to severe discrimination; the statistical models did not fully represent the experiences of disabled individuals across different racial and gender groups.
  • Future Work: Further research on discrimination differences across platforms and cultural contexts, unique challenges faced by individuals with different types of disabilities (e.g., invisible disabilities), and algorithm audits to uncover mechanisms of content suppression on social media.

Conclusion

This study systematically reveals the discrimination and harassment faced by disabled content creators on social media through the development of a taxonomy, modeling the impact of intersectional identities on ableist discrimination, and an in-depth exploration using an infrastructure lens. The findings provide insights for designing equitable digital spaces. The research emphasizes the need for platforms to adopt more targeted measures to combat ableist discrimination by improving content management tools and community guidelines while reducing the burden of invisible labor on creators.