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Identity Construction CyComp

This document summarizes Martina Di Renzo Buckley's research on identity construction in online communication with people who have high functioning autism or Asperger syndrome. The research began by examining computer-mediated communication as a way to bridge communication gaps, and expanded to explore how participants make sense of their experiences. Analysis of interviews and online data revealed narratives around communication struggles offline, identity and isolation, social expectations, and perspectives on diagnosis. The research aims to better understand the online experiences of adults with autism spectrum disorders.

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buckleym6099
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62 views

Identity Construction CyComp

This document summarizes Martina Di Renzo Buckley's research on identity construction in online communication with people who have high functioning autism or Asperger syndrome. The research began by examining computer-mediated communication as a way to bridge communication gaps, and expanded to explore how participants make sense of their experiences. Analysis of interviews and online data revealed narratives around communication struggles offline, identity and isolation, social expectations, and perspectives on diagnosis. The research aims to better understand the online experiences of adults with autism spectrum disorders.

Uploaded by

buckleym6099
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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In search of a common language

Identity construction in online


communication with people with High
Functioning Autism and Asperger
Syndrome
A research by Martina Di Renzo Buckley
School of Applied Psychology
University College Cork
Ireland
What came before
The current stage of research is the natural
continuation of a study finished in 2008: In Search of a
Common Language
Enquiry on Computer-Mediated Communication and
people with Asperger Syndrome (AS) and High
Functioning Autistic Spectrum Disorder (HFASD)
Online communication as a favourite mean of dialogue
for people in the autistic spectrum?
Non-medical approach
Focus on language used by participants: structure of
dialogue and personal narrative
Participants trying to make sense of experiences
related to their “autistic identity”
Research question (first stage of
research)
Lack of communication between people in the
spectrum and neurotypicals – the term
“normal” is taboo
Can Computer-Mediated Communication (CMC)
help to bridge the communication gap between
people with HFASD/AS and neurotypical people?
The language used in CMC can be the common
language between the two communities
Research question (second stage)

How do people with Asperger Syndrome and


Autistic Spectrum Disorder make sense of their
experiences using CMC?
Second-tier:
What kind of experiences are people with AS
(Asperger Syndrome) and HFASD (High
Functioning Autistic Spectrum Disorder) are
trying to communicate with online written text?
Models
John Suler’s Psychology of Text Relationship (
http://www-usr.rider.edu/~suler/psycyber/psytextrel.html):
o CMC is the preferred mean of communication for people who “love to
write” and hate face-to face talk – typically people with HFASD and AS
o Fluidity of CMC due to the absence of FTF cues
o “Disinhibition” effect caused by the anonymity of text-based
communication
Virtual Ethnography (Christine Hine): organization of social
relationships on the Internet. Are “virtual relationships” radically
different from the “real”? How are identities performed and
experienced?
Chris Mann & Fiona Stewart’s Internet communication and
Qualitative Research (2000): Online communication allows
reaching geographically-scattered populations
Phenomenological psychology: Phenomenological approach to CMC
models
Methodology and Method

First stage: three months of data gathering


Only synchronous communication (MSN
Messenger, Yahoo Messenger, Asperger’s Ireland
chatroom)
Semi-structured interviews to 5 participants
Active input from participants that helped to
re-structure the interview protocol for the
following stage of the research – cooperative
enquiry.
Discourse Analysis was used on the data.
Methodology and Method
Second stage (ongoing): Virtual ethnography – a
methodological starting point for data collection in
community forums, blogs and social networks.
Longitudinal study for a period of 4/6 months
Analysis of blog posts and Facebook pages. Very
interesting link between blogs and Facebook.
Creation of website http://www.ucc.ie/en/iscl/
and blog
http://searchofacommonlanguage.blogspot.com/
Research website: http://www.ucc.ie/en/iscl/
Analysis (first stage)
Preliminary analysis revealed three narratives
(transcripts were coded accordingly)
 Communication between online and offline world
 Identity and description of self
 Diagnosis discourse
Coding process allowed to reduce the data to a
manageable size and suggested a main core
narrative: Construction of self online
Nine interpretative repertoires and a pool of
tropes
Cruel real world (lack of communication)
I'm glad we can talk online- it's much harder in person
I remember life pre-Internet, when I had no social life at all. I was
married […] and had no friends or social life at all. It was, I
imagine, a little like being in prison.
I mean it's nice to feel accepted in a group, that is if I was in one.
In the offline world, I seem to be invisible

Written communication
If I were using my voice rather than my fingers, I'd get stuck
pretty quick
I sometimes us MSN to communicate with my mother from
another room and find I can have a great conversation.
There's too much non-verbal social cuing when talking face to
face. After the first routines I use, I get lost
but i prefer talking online at times, means that the hidden
signals within speech are non existent
Safe online world

Also, I like chatrooms and Groups like Yahoo for the same
reason... structured, safe, no visual cuing
Online, people only judge me on writing, which is
something I do well
most of us have an inability to make friends thus turning
to the comfort of the computer. We know there will be
someone to talk to and we won't feel as much alone
I need a long time- sometimes even a day or two- to
recharge after a "real-life" social contact. Online
contact is not so overstimulating.
Identity and isolation

I do, actually, hate what I am.

Ian: bah sometimes I hate myself.


Ian: cuz i'm awkward ;p
Ian: mostly physically

I feel like my children are supported, and Disability


Services is quite good. But on a personal level? I live in
a village of 250, and the other residents here have all
but snubbed me.
Social expectations
I really fear meeting new people and making a bad impression
Question 2: You are a hiring manager. One applicant clearly
has better technical qualifications than the others. When
you interview him, you notice that he rocks in his chair,
does not make eye contact, and speaks in a monotone. Will
you:(A) Hire him because he is the most qualified candidate;
(B) Hire him, even though you think he's creepy, because
you're afraid of being sued if you don't (C) Talk with your
buddy In Human Resources about how to cover your ass
when you reject him; (D) Just tell him flat-out that you
don't hire his kind.
Diagnosis as a relief
It was a relief to get a diagnosis, and to learn what the
diagnosis meant. It answered all the questions I had about
myself. I understood why I had so much trouble making
friends and having a social life.
I always felt I had some invisible fault or defect that everyone
else noticed besides me, and that nobody would tell me
what it was
Diagnosis as a label
i viewed myself as an outcast
M: How did you feel about your diagnosis?
S: labeled.. insane..
Ian: because AS is a "bad disability"
Definition of diversity
organising Aspies is a little like trying to herd cats. :)
I don’t like half the aspies I know ;p
I don’t view myself as disabled a lot, only when im down

Learning to cope
I have strong masking routines, including facial and gestures. But
they are rehearsed, and executed the same almost every time.
i kept my mouth zipped till mum noticed a decline in my health
Disability services is trying to hire someone to come here to help
me organise my house. I'm not sure how that will work out
though, as I don't like people touching my things!
Conclusions (first stage)
Participants used the interviews as a narrative
tool for the construction of themselves
Participants aware of differences between online
and offline world
Narrative has circular structure
Construction of a different self online
Onlineworld as a safe place
Social isolation as a risk worth taking
Link between two stages of research
The study started as an enquiry on
Computer-Mediated Communication
and people with Asperger Syndrome
(AS) and High Functioning Autistic
Spectrum Disorder (HFASD)
It ended up as a “virtual
storytelling” experience
Participants trying to make sense
of experiences related to their
“autistic identity”
Need to explore different
platforms of online communication
Future of research
The world of adults with AS and HFADS needs to be
explored and their issues analysed and addressed.
CMC and other forms of text based communication could
help to relieve social anxiety and communication
impairments and could be successfully applied in colleges
and workplaces.
“Storytelling” nature of Internet communication: an
ideal platform for people with AS/HFASD to start making
sense of their experiences.
Ethical issues concerning research on social networks and
blogs.
Contribution to Virtual Ethnograpy.

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